


Your mind is so beautiful

by DreamDrop



Series: THIRDS [3]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Agents, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Bonding class time!, Charlie Cochet, Damen and Laurent are naughty, Damen is competitive, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Meeting the Family, Their partnership is a thing of beauty, Thirds universe, Workplace Sex, like REALLY competitive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:41:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamDrop/pseuds/DreamDrop
Summary: "I have the pleasure of teaching this class four times a year and it‘s always an amazing experience. I know you all saw the class information however I‘d like to repeat the most important parts of our day here.“He made a theatrical pause, everybody listened in rapt attention. This guy knew how to play the game. Laurent already liked him."The purpose of today is that you and your partner have a good basis to start a real partnership. For this there is some basic understanding between human and therians needed. Therians have to attend a lot of classes that teach them about human behavior and the differences between humans and therians, humans on the other hand don‘t have to do that. In order to get the most out of your partnership the THIRDS added this mandatory class to the first months at the THIRDS.“OR Damen and Laurent finally take part in the bonding class.
Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince)
Series: THIRDS [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777957
Comments: 63
Kudos: 72





	1. Now that you got in my head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nayona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nayona/gifts).



> Hello my dear reader!  
> Thank you for taking an interest in Damen and Laurent in another setting entirely. I hope you like it and would love to hear your thoughts.  
> This work is for Najona who supported the whole series from the beginning and motivated me to keep writing. Thank you very much.

Damen stood in Halvik’s office. Her gaze penetrated him to the core but he kept his face calm and steady. "So you really think it’s a good idea to let Nikandros join the team again? So soon after his injury?“

"With all due respect, Sarge, Nik is as good as new, that’s what the doctors told me. His injury was four weeks ago and as bad as it looked back then, he essentially only lost a lot of blood. His leg is completely healed. If we keep him on desk duty, he will just be annoyed, which he both know, is no good thing.“ 

Damen smiled. "Come on, Sarge, you know I am right.“  
She tried to stare him down, it didn’t work. She was terrifying that much was true, but Damen went through a hard schooling with Theomedes as his father. 

Fifteen minutes later and Nik was back on duty. Damen was relieved to have his best friend back in his team. The last weeks were not easy, the press had dragged the THIRDS through the mud. They accused the THIRDS of being too lenient towards therian threats. 

Many politicians used the incident as fuel for their campaigns and Damen just wanted to scream. As if it was due to their nature that these therians had run amok. As if humans were never involved in incidents like that and as if it was important which species the perps had. In the end the only relevant part was that they harmed others and were now brought to justice.

He felt the relief when the time for the bonding class came almost physically. He handed over the command for the day to Nik, grinned and wished him good luck. It felt a bit like vacation.

The bonding class was a one day class at one of the training fields if the weather was good, which was the case today. The field was sheltered from curious eyes thanks to being in the center of the different HQ buildings. 

Damen was more than grateful for that fact. The THIRDS couldn't use negative publicity that their therian elite agents played like animals with their partners. He could only shake his head at so much ignorance. Yes, they could shift into animals but that didn’t mean that they were animals. 

The last weeks were sobering. It was clear that humans were still terrified of therians and the threat they could pose. Damen could somehow understand it. Therians were not only stronger, they were faster, healed better and had heightened senses. 

Especially big classifications, apex predators were treated with disdain. Only yesterday had a man at Damen's favorite coffeeshop spilled his coffee all over him and cursed him as an abomination. 

Damen had smiled at the flustered employee who had apologized profoundly and assured him that everything was well. The burns had healed quickly. Still, it had not been a good day.

Now he was at the office at 6 am. Alone. Laurent had family dinner with Auguste and their parents the evening before. Which was the only reason Damen didn't pick him up in the morning and another reason why the previous day was not a good one. 

Since Damen and Laurent were in a relationship, Nik and Damen went to pick Laurent and Auguste up almost every day. Auguste had mostly the same schedule as them so the timing was perfect. 

Fortunately, Laurent entered the office only half an hour later. His mood horrible, as always so early in the morning. Damen grinned at him and went to get him a cup of tea. He would need another half hour to be able to handle social interaction.

At seven, Laurent looked up from his files and asked, "When will the class start?"  
"At eight. How was dinner?"  
Laurent leaned back, his eyes fixed on Damen. "It was very entertaining. My mother teased Auguste until he looked like a tomato. It was extremely funny. Hilarious even. In the end his only escape option was to start talking about you. I didn't know that my mother is such a big fan of yours, Damen."

Damen grinned. "In case you didn't notice, I am very charming."  
Laurent crooked his head. "Yes. You definitively are. I bet you never had problems getting away with mischief."  
"What mischief are you even talking about?" Damen donned his innocent face. Laurent only snorted, "sure. Let's assume I believe you, you still didn't tell me how you know my mother."

"She skyped Auguste once when I was at his place. He included me in their conversation. She is an amazing person. I would like to meet her in person once."

Laurent smiled, it was soft and warm and oh so beautiful. "Actually, she invited you to come to dinner. As Auguste's friend and my work partner. Nik is also invited. I am looking forward to the extremely uncomfortable conversation on that particular evening."

"I bet. You'll just drink your wine and watch us struggle." Damen didn't want to imagine how dinner with the four Leblancs might go. He loved Laurent and Auguste and he admired Hennike but he also knew that all of them had a very strong personality. And Aleron didn't sound timid at all. He could only hope to survive in one piece.

Laurent laughed. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone harm you. And we will be in public, so nothing illegal will happen. Would Friday be agreeable with you?"  
"Yes." Damen nodded. 

He looked forward to meet Laurent's family. They agreed to keep their relationship to themselves in the beginning, but now he had another reason to meet the Leblancs and that was just as good.

When it was time for them to go to the bonding class, they stood to leave the office. Damen's eyes were immediately drawn to Laurent's legs. The man had a body like Adonis. 

Laurent opened their door and smirked at Damen when he walked past him. "I know that look.“  
Damen grinned back, no sense in denying anything. "I know.“

Vannes hip checked Damen when she appeared out of nowhere. "Now, are you two ready to show them who the real elite is?“  
Damen smiled at her and shook his head. "It‘s not a competition, Vannes.“  
"Says you, Damen, who most likely never lost even one single silly ball game.“ She slung her arm around Isander‘s shoulder. "This cutie and I are gonna crush them to dust. But if you two don‘t want to help then so be it.“

"No worries, Vannes. Damen is so damn competitive he can‘t even lose to me while typing. Did you know he visited a fast typing course only to beat my keyboard stroke?“ Laurent threw in the mix as they entered the elevator while Damen sniffed indignantly. "That‘s not true. I just wanted to get better. I can lose. I am a great looser.“

Laurent smirked and only shook his head while Vannes laughed like crazy.  
Isander grinned. "You are really a terrible liar, boss.“  
"Not you too!“ Damen threw his hands in the air. His whole team turned against him. It was horrible.

"No worries, partner. I will do my best to help crush them.“ Laurent smiled up to him, his plush lips only quirking at the corners but his eyes twinkling like when the sun reflected on the ocean.  
"I‘m counting on it.“

They arrived at the shifting cabines. Vannes went inside with a high five to her three teammates. Then Damen turned towards Laurent. "We‘ll see each other soon.“  
"Yes. Now strip, Damianos.“ Damen laughed at Laurent‘s words. He brushed his knuckles against Laurent‘s cheek, just barley, nobody was there to see it. Then he turned to shift.

Laurent waited patiently outside of the cabin until his partner emerged. Damen immediately brushed up against his legs, bumped his head in his stomach and licked his hand.  
"Hello there. Ready to go?“ 

Damen bumped him again playfully and then walked beside him out on the field. Isander and Vannes already waited for them. Laurent scratched Vannes‘ head while Isander explained him how his last bonding class was like.  
On the field different mats were laid down in regular intervals. Isander and Laurent sat down on two adjacent mats and Damen and Vannes lay down at their sides, as if to shield them from the outside. 

Isander smiled and petted Vannes‘ furr. "I am really looking forward to this class.“  
"Really?“  
"Yes, aren‘t you?“  
Laurent wasn‘t. "I don‘t know. I prefer to keep my relationships with other people private and I think I won‘t learn much new things.“

"But you will get to play with Damen for minimum half a day.“  
Laurent smiled down at his partner and brushed his fingers through the thick mane. "That‘s the only bright side.“  
Isander chuckled softly. 

Fifteen minutes later all mats were occupied and Laurent felt the stares boring into the back of his head. Damen had sat up and towered over him like a mountain of flesh, muscle and golden fur.  
"Why is everyone determined to stare a hole in my head?“ Laurent muttered at Isander.  
"Because we are from Unit Alpha, Team Ambush Alpha. We are pretty famous. Most of all Damen.“ 

Laurent looked down his uniform. Seeing the patches of his Unit and team there he looked to Damen, who seemed to feel his gaze on him. He ducked his big head and rubbed against Laurent’s cheek.  
"You big fluff ball.“ Laurent teased in a whisper while he returned the affectionate gesture. Damen rumbled playfully and licked his face. 

"Welcome agents. I am happy to see you here on this beautiful day. My name is Charls, I‘d suggest we call each other with first names, and I am a professor for Human-Therian relationships at the university of Marlas. These are my assistants, Zara and Kyle. They will help me today.“ 

Laurent looked up to see a man dressed in a purple suit standing on a small stage, talking to them over the speakers. He was not very tall, had a round belly and a moustache. He even wore a hat, also in purple. 

"I have the pleasure of teaching this class four times a year and it‘s always an amazing experience. I know you all saw the class information however I‘d like to repeat the most important parts of our day here.“  
He made a theatrical pause, everybody listened in rapt attention. This guy knew how to play the game. Laurent already liked him.

"The purpose of today is that you and your partner have a good basis to start a real partnership. For this there is some basic understanding between human and therians needed. Therians have to attend a lot of classes that teach them about human behavior and the differences between humans and therians, humans on the other hand don‘t have to do that. In order to get the most out of your partnership the THIRDS added this mandatory class to the first months at the THIRDS.“

Laurent caught himself before he laid his head against Damen‘s shoulder. Now they were not at either of their apartments but at their workplace. He sat up straighter and removed his hand from Damen‘s fur, who seemed very unhappy with this development. He nudged Laurent until he took up the petting again.

Laurent looked up and saw how Charls stared at him with a smile on his lips. Perfect. He was was even catching the instructors attention when there were 30 pairs in the course. 

"As always, I‘d like to give a short introduction. You all know that the research concerning therians is still in its early stages. However, there are already some things we all know for certain. Like PSTC, which is a must after every shift. Also the fact that different classifications need different medical attention. You might know that this knowledge came with a high price. Pre first-generation therians, in other words those therians who don‘t have a stable version of the mutation, and some first generation therians, therians who were the first generation with a stable mutation, had to go through a lot of pain to provide us all with the knowledge we have today. Many therians died after their shift because nobody knew about PSTC, many others died in the hospital because we didn‘t know the physical differenced of different classifications. Most of you here are post first-gen. Fortunately, you didn‘t have to experience these first years of hardship but there is still a lot we don‘t know. For example bonds between therians but especially between a therian and a human are still a mystery to us. In other words, this class won‘t give you all the answers but the tools to work your way towards answers together with your partner.“ 

Laurent liked this formulation. It sounded like something his parents might say. 

Charls was not finished with his introduction, "I‘d like to split the class in three groups. My assistants and I will each lead one group. But first you need to answer some questions. They are all directed to the human part of the partnership. The reason for that is quite obvious. Your therian partners had to take a lot of classes already, as a result we need to work on the human side of your partnership a lot more. Well then, who of you did already take a class that focused on improving human-therian relations that was not part of your mandatory introduction to the THIRDS?“

Laurent and Isander both raised their hands but they were clearly in the minority.  
Charls nodded. "Who of you had already read or searched for more information concerning this topic?“  
Now a lot more agents raised their hands. 

"Who of you is in a partnership with your current partner for a month or less?“  
Around 8 humans raised their hands. "You will join Zara. Please follow her. Who of you is in a partnership of two months?“  
Now 13 humans raised their hands. "You please join Kyle. The rest of you is in a partnership for 3 months or more, you please follow me.“

Laurent got up now he was really a bit curious. Charls was very interesting. He led them to a part of the field where cushions were he arranged them in a half circle before a Flipchart.  
"I welcome you again. Please introduce yourself and your partner shortly to us. Including how long you are partners.“

They did as they were told and Charls smiled satisfied. "Good. Now I‘d like to start with a question round. Isander, would you please tel us typical traits of your partner in her felid form?“

Isander seemed a bit hesitant, but then he said, "Vannes is very playful. She likes to play all sorts of games and is full of energy. She isn‘t one for much affection but lets me know I‘m important to her by the way she always involves me in her playtime.“

Charls nodded along while writing on the flipchart. "Other things?“  
„She is rather cautious towards unknown people and is sometimes a bit of a loner.“  
"Thank you Isander. Now Laurent.“  
Laurent smiled down at Damen, who looked up to him with his golden eyes.

"Damen is very affectionate. He loves to be petted and looks for physical contact all the time. Additionally, he likes crowds, not important if they are human or therians. The more people the better. He is always in the center of it all. He is stubborn and fierce and very possessive.“ Charls smiled at them and wrote some more.

This went on until every agent had told him different characteristics of their partner.  
"Now you might ask yourself why we did this. The answer is pretty straightforward. You all need to know your partner independent of his or her appearance. I‘d like to do an exercise.  
For that I need the therians over there while the humans take a seat on the cushions provided.“ 

Laurent took one of the massive cushions from the pile and sat down, always keeping an eye on Damen‘s position. Charls talked to the therians and then they started to play. Vannes and Damen were the only large felids in the group. There were two cheetahs, three wolves, a bear and a gorilla. 

Charls let them play with the boxes and balls and cubes and came over to the human part of their group. "I want you to observe closely. Do stay focused and try to detect different behavioral patterns.“

Laurent already knew this exercise from his mother, but he only nodded along. He enjoyed watching Damen play. His partner was always mindful of his strength and weight. 

He played with the cheetahs first, who seemed to be very exited, at least if one judged by their chirps. Then he went over to nudge the gorilla, who seemed a bit shy at first. They became fast friends after that. 

When Vannes licked his face, he rubbed his head against hers, only to dive into one box. Laurent couldn‘t suppress the smile now. He watched how the massive lion tried to fold in on himself to fit in the box, which was impossible but also not the fun part of the game. 

After some time, Damen got up again and came over. He sat before Laurent and stared in his eyes. The blond man rubbed his head affectionately. "Are you having fun?“  
Damen rumbled and nudged his cheek with his nose. 

Laurent smiled and brushed his fingers through the fur.  
"Good. I think Vannes will ambush you if you don‘t go back now.“  
Damen grimaced. It looked hilarious but terrifying at the same time. His sharp fangs were only centimeters away from Laurent‘s face. However, Laurent had spent his whole life in the company of felids and didn‘t even bat an eyelash. 

His partner turned and chased Vannes, who really had started to creep up to him. One wolf therian also came over and whined pitifully. The woman, who was his partner, Leticia, smiled and started to rub the wolf behind his ears. 

"Are you tired? Come on you can‘t be tired already. I will make you do cardio until to kneel over.“ The wolf was back to playing in no time. If was hilarious. 

After fifteen minutes more Charls called the therians over and they stood around the flipchart again.  
"What did you observe?“ 

Laurent did his part, talked about his observations, explained his interpretation of these and answered each and every follow up question Charls had for him. 

The professor was funny and considerate. He never gave one of the agents a bad feeling for something they said. He didn‘t hesitate to point out his own observations and typical behavior of this particular classification. 

Like the fact that large felids were some of the most possessive classifications that could be found. What was theirs was theirs and nobody else should even think about touching it. 

After their discussion there was a short break where Laurent just sat back down and started to caress his fingers through Damen‘s fur. The sun made him sleepy, he could feel it, but he wasn‘t ready to let his guard down. 

Damen observed him closely, his movements careful when he tucked Laurent‘s face under his massive head. Laurent felt himself choke up a bit, at this show of complete trust from Damen. He closed his eyes for a second, happy to shield his face from others in the thick mane. 

After the break they did another exercise. It was a trust parkour. The human partner had to wear a blindfold and trust their partner to lead them safely through the parkour. It was no problem for Laurent. 

He realized in exactly this moment that he would follow Damen blindly.  
It was terrifying. Never before did he have so much trust in someone outside of his family. However, as terrifying as it was, Laurent already knew it. Damen was his one in a million. 

When he laid his hand in his partner’s mane he felt almost as secure as when he had his eyes open. They finished the parkour in record time which was important as Laurent didn‘t joke when he told Isander and Vannes how competitive their team leader was. 

Damen didn’t let him trip or bump into an obstacle even once. Laurent took off the blindfold and met Charls’ curious gaze. 

After this parkour they had their lunch break. The therians would shift and attend in their human form in the afternoon.  
Somehow Laurent was almost disappointed. He loved the big kitten Damen was whenever he shifted. 

They went to the shifting rooms. Laurent waited outside until Damen called him in. Which was pretty soon, caused by the fact that Damen only wore his underwear when Laurent entered. He was really attractive.

Laurent was stood there for a stunned second, then he sprang into action. He provided PSTC until Damen could stand up. The therian towered over him and then he smiled.

If Laurent hadn‘t already fucked him, this smile would be all the persuasion he needed.  
"I had a lot of fun. You didn‘t even question my lead.“  
"You were the one who saw where we were going. It would be pretty stupid to stubbornly refuse to listen to you.“

"Normally that doesn‘t detain you.“  
Laurent laughed. "Well, I don‘t intend to listen to you just because you are team leader. If you are wrong you are wrong.“  
"I am not talking about work.“ Damen tilted Laurent‘s head back with his finger‘s under Laurent‘s jaw.

He smirked. "Are you maybe referring to this one time I didn‘t let you tease me into oblivion?“  
"Yes. Such a shame. I love to see you unravel in my bed.“

Laurent‘s breath hitched and Damen smiled triumphantly. But Laurent wouldn‘t be Laurent if he let Damen win so easily. He raised an eyebrow and then took Damen‘s pants from the pile of clothing. He lowered himself to his knees, slowly. Then he lifted his head to look in Damen‘s eyes. 

"I know you do.“ His voice was husky. Damen stared at him, his mouth open, pupils blown, sucking in a sharp breath.  
"Now you should dress in your pants. Otherwise we won‘t get any lunch.“ Laurent smiled sweetly. 

Damen opened his mouth and then closed it again but did as he was told. Laurent pulled up his pants but before he could close the zipper or button Damen caught his hands. "I can do it.“  
"I know.“ Laurent smirked. 

The feeling of Damen under his hands was heady. The smooth skin, taunt muscles and unbelievable power underneath causing Laurent‘s heart to skip a beat.

"I should do it otherwise there won‘t be a lunch break for either of us.“ Damen‘s voice was gravely, raspy and Laurent took it for the warning it was.  
He stepped back. "I‘ll wait outside for you.“

Five minutes later Damen emerged, fully dressed in the black uniform and looking as intimidating as it was expected from the pride of Unit Alpha. Laurent saw how some of the agents who also took part in the bonding class nudged each other and whispered nervously. 

"If you don‘t hurry, you‘ll be ambushed,“ he warned Damen, who looked up and saw the young agents stand there. A bright grin formed on his lips and Laurent couldn‘t decide if he wanted to sigh dreamily or roll his eyes in annoyance. Now they would be involved in a conversation. 

Just as he predicted, the agents came over.  
First they apparently couldn‘t formulate one single syllable but then an agent from Unit Beta came over and shook Damen‘s hand. "Agent Vallis, a pleasure meeting you again. Thank you for your help at the McMelcome case. This is my new partner, agent Huet. He is a big fan of yours.“ 

He dragged a young cheetah therian over who flushed bright red but still stared at Damen as if he was the eight world wonder. Laurent could understand him only too well.

Soon, Damen was involved in an animated conversation with all of the younger agents.  
Laurent stirred him in the direction of food, because Damen needed to eat something. He wouldn‘t risk his partner‘s well being for his fangirls and -boys. Most of them should eat something themselves. 

When they stood in the cafeteria, Laurent interrupted the conversation to say, "Damen, would you get us a seat, I am going to get food.“  
Vannes and Isander already sat at a big table together with Charls and his two assistants and waved like crazy. 

Laurent nudged Damen in their direction and then went to get food. Honestly, sometimes he was not sure how Damen had survived without him.

When he placed the tray with food before his partner, he got the brightest smile ever, the dimples almost giving him a heart-attack.  
"Thank you, Laurent.“  
"You‘re welcome.“ Laurent replied and sat down beside Charls and Isander. 

Damen watched him closely, even when he answered another question. When he returned his gaze, Damen raised an eyebrow and threw him an apple. "I knew you‘d try to avoid your healthy food while I am distracted.“  
Laurent rolled his eyes, but took a bite of the apple nonetheless. "Happy?“  
"Yes.“ Then Damen redirected his focus to the other people on the table. 

"How long are you partners?“ Charls observed Damen while he asked the question and Laurent didn‘t mind the conversation, so he indulged their instructor.  
"Three months now.“

"Fascinating. I never thought such a deep connection could form in so little time.“ Charls turned his focus towards Laurent. It was a bit unnerving how closely he observed him.

"My brother and father are both felid therians. I grew up with a large felid around me, thus I don‘t have the same reservations other people might have.“  
"If you don‘t mind me asking, is your mother human then?“  
"Yes, she is. It was quite the scandal, still is.“

"Leblanc. I knew the name was familiar. Hennike Leblanc is your mother?“ Charls stared at him with wide eyes.  
"Yes.“  
"Then is Aleron Leblanc your father?“

Laurent nodded, he knew where this conversation headed. People were either repellent or fascinated by his family background. Charls obviously belonged to the second group.

"Fascinating! I know Hennike from university. I already heard that both her sons are now working at the THIRDS. And from what I see, you fit in amazingly well. She is really proud of you and your brother.“

"And we are both proud of her. I think it‘s a shame that humans and therians didn‘t learn from past mistakes. The question concerning a superior race has only brought us heartache until now. We shouldn‘t try to encourage mindsets like that with policies that do support a division between us.“

"Preaching to the choir, my dear. I think partnerships like the one you have with Damianos are the true foundation for a stable and happy community. I didn‘t have the chance to talk to him until now but even I heard from his many accomplishments.“ 

Charls' eyes sparkled. "Tell me, how did you achieve such a deep connection in only three months? I never saw something similar. Thus I would love to hear your theory.“

Laurent‘s gaze drifted to Damen without him realizing. Only when his partner looked up and caught his eye, Laurent realized that he had stared openly at him. 

Immediately he focused back on their instructor. "I think it just felt right. Damen is hard to dislike. I think people feel drawn to him immediately because he doesn‘t judge. He is open, brave and doesn‘t have hidden intentions. He doesn‘t think to be better than someone else and that is something I truly admire. To be honest, all I want is to spare him from further heartache. My theory is that if your partner is someone you can truly respect then every partnership has the potential to become outstanding. However, for that you need to be humble enough to admit to your own faults and shortcomings. No easy matter.“

"We all would love to be perfect.“  
Laurent smiled. "That is true. Although my job shows me that we all are far from perfect.“ 

Charls smiled and patted Laurent‘s hand. "We are all grateful for your service, my dear. You should be proud of what you do and of your partnership. It is outstanding.“  
"I am.“


	2. Why don't you get in my bed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers!  
> I have so much inspiration for this story. I swear, it's horrible hahaha  
> I hope you don't mind me updating so frequently and flooding you with updates. ALSO: There is smut in this chapter (that's the reason why the rating got upped... I didn't really plan it, it just happened :O I have nothing to say in my defenses >.<)  
> If you'd like to read something specific in this universe, just write me a message, leave a comment or write to me on my tumblr (dreamdropxoxo).  
> Have fun!

"Charls, hello, I am Damianos, my partner already introduced us. I am happy to make your acquaintance." Damen stood by his shoulder and shook Charls‘ hand. "Laurent, do you have a minute?“ He smiled at Laurent. His dimples were so adorable. Laurent wanted to kiss them. 

"Yes. Charls, if you would excuse me. I really enjoyed our discussion.“  
"Of course. I did too. Thank you.“

Laurent got up and followed Damen out of the cafeteria to the elevators, to their office. He greeted the other agents, answered a question regarding a case, caught the package of gummy bears Nicaise threw his way and yet, most of his focus was on Damen. 

He realized that he had missed talking to his partner at lunch. Normally they were in deep conversation over a shared meal, discussing different cases, policies, their training or even books they had both read. Today however Damen had been caught up while talking to the other agents and Laurent had been distracted by Charls. 

Damen’s hand landed on his shoulder when he praised Laurent (again) while talking to Torveld, who had just entered the break room in the middle of their floor. Torveld’s eyes strayed to his hand multiple times and Laurent didn’t even think of pulling away. 

He replied to Auguste’s texts while he waited for the two team leaders to finish talking. His brother was so happy for him when Laurent had told him that Damen and him finally had more than just friendship. He had even shared the winnings out of the betting pool with him. 

Obviously, Laurent had known that their team had a betting pool going on, but he hadn‘t known that his brother would take part in it and be right in the end. Their relationship grew to be even closer, although Laurent had thought that wouldn‘t be possible. Auguste now shared his own unhappy crush on Nik with him. He told him about his fears and insecurities.  
Finally, Laurent could be his brother‘s equal and not the little precious child Auguste doted upon. 

Right now he texted him that Nik was on his way to get a coffee. Auguste thanked him and five minutes later he hurried through the break room towards the stairs. He waved and called out, "I love you, Laurent.“ Laurent had smiled and called back, "I love you too, you dork.“ Then he started reading an e-mail.

"Laurent, what are your thoughts on Charls?“ Torveld asked friendly. Maybe it sounded patronizing only to Laurent’s ears.  
"He is very competent. I like the class.“ Laurent looked up when he answered and Torveld obviously took this as encouragement to talk to him more.

"He is extraordinary, isn’t he? I had the pleasure to make his acquaintance some years back.“  
"Yes.“ Laurent wanted this conversation over. "He’s one of the rare people who know when they should hold their tongue.“  
Torveld drew his eyebrows together. Most likely asking himself if Laurent meant him. He did. 

Damen grinned and then slowly but surely guided Laurent away. He threw a, "nice to talk to you, Torveld!“ over his shoulder, while Laurent didn’t even try to be this polite. The other team leader was much too intrusive for his taste.

"Thank goodness you can make him shut up. I thought he would never let me go again,“ Damen muttered. It was a sign of his strong dislike of Torveld that he complained about him. Laurent didn’t conceal the chuckle that spilled over his lips when he looked up to the big therian who still had his hand on his shoulder. 

The tension between them grew tick, sweet and heavy. Damen looked at him with dark eyes and a smile that promised pleasure and passion. Laurent loved that smile. He knew, no matter how old they got he would always crave this look and this smile on Damen’s face. If Damen still wanted him, that is. 

His partner opened the door to their shared office. When they entered, Laurent put the gummy bears down on his desk, turned around and pulled Damen close by his utility belt. He kissed his dimples, first the left then the right one and finally he pressed his lips to Damen‘s.

"I wanted to do that since you shifted back,“ Laurent whispered against Damen‘s warm, soft mouth. The therian groaned, yanked him even closer and licked over his lower lip until Laurent opened his mouth.

The taste of Damen on his tongue made his head spin. He took some steps back, until he could sit on his desk, Damen standing between his legs. Their earpieces abandoned somewhere on the floor. Damen‘s mouth brushed over his cheek, then his jaw. He started to place soft bites along his jawline. 

"You are so beautiful. I love to feel how your pulse flutters under my lips. Always in control except for when I have my hands on you.“ Damen murmured and it was true.

Laurent let his head fall back, fully aware that they really shouldn‘t do that in their office. But he abandoned the thought. Their offices were all soundproofed, they had locked the door and still got 30 minutes of their break. 

Their belts had already found their way to the floor. It would hurt no-one to have a little fun. His hands started to open Damen‘s uniform jacket.  
He was distracted by Damen licking right over his pulse point. 

He never knew how sensitive this spot was, nobody paid close attention to his neck before.  
His heart raced. It was funny, he felt almost nervous whenever Damen touched him intimately. Silly, because he was no novice to sex. But maybe he was one where love was concerned. 

He froze, did he really think about love just now? He knew he liked Damen, a lot, but love was another matter entirely. 

"Laurent? Are you alright?“ Damen observed him closely. He looked worried. "Is something wrong?“  
"No. I just thought about something upsetting. It‘s a fairly stupid matter. Don‘t mind me.“

Damen chuckled, a bit incredulous. "I mind you very much.“  
Laurent laughed. "That‘s not what I meant. Now you should continue with whatever you had in mind next. It felt rather pleasant.“  
"Pleasant. Aha.“ Damen shook his head with a grin but still he did as he was told. 

Laurent shoved the jacket over Damen‘s shoulders. They were very nice shoulders. In fact, Laurent couldn‘t refrain from following the defined muscles down Damen‘s arms with his hands. Damen shrugged the jacket off, his hands immediately occupied with shedding Laurent‘s clothes. 

Laurent could feel every single touch of those warm, strong hands on his skin. It burned as if he was being marked but at the same time it soothed some deep buried frenzy. He had to support his upper body with one hand against the desk, his other hand found its way into Damen‘s curls. When he tugged once, a bit harder, Damen groaned and crushed their lips together. 

They pulled on each other‘s shirts until both of their upper bodies were bare and Laurent could finally apply his lips to Damen‘s muscled chest. This man was beyond attractive and he always smelled so damn good. Laurent had no idea how he did it but it drove him out of his mind. Damen always smelled a bit citrusy, like oranges.

He bushed his lips over one nipple and Damen moaned softly in the back of his throat. Laurent smiled and then closed his lips over the bud. Damen‘s hands flew to his head.  
"Laurent.“ It sounded like a prayer.

He sucked while his hands were occupied with opening Damen‘s pants. The heat boiled in his stomach and he was really glad when the button finally gave in and he could open the zipper. Simultaneously, he caught Damen‘s other nipple with his teeth. The moan this time a lot louder. 

His partner was a vision. The muscles in his shoulders tense, and his eyes closed. Before Laurent could contemplate if he should push Damen‘s underwear over his fantastic ass, Damen pulled him to his feet.  
"You are driving me crazy. You have no idea how much I want you.“ His voice sounded dark, like melted chocolate. 

Laurent pushed his hands down Damen’s underwear. His fingers caressing the firm flesh of Damen’s ass. The arousal coiling in his gut. "I think I have the slightest idea, Damianos.“

The therian shuddered and pressed closer. His hands found Laurent’s pants and shoved them down together with his underwear. His hands were on Laurent immediately. Touching him firmly yet slowly. Exactly how Laurent liked it. 

He let his thumbs press in the inguinal crease below Damen’s abs. He knew his partner liked to feel his hands there. Close to his cock but not yet touching. It drove the anticipation to new heights. 

"Laurent, please,“ Damen’s voice was like a caress, Laurent applied his lips to his jaw and nibbled at the sensitive flesh there.  
"We have to hurry. I don’t like it.“ He pressed the words in Damen’s skin. He really disliked the fact that they had to hurry now. He loved the slow tease before they fucked and Damen was an expert at it.

"I will make it worth your while when we get home.“  
"Home. Yours or mine?“  
"Doesn’t matter.“ Damen pulled him closer, crushing their lips together, grinding his hips against Laurent’s. He held Laurent as if he was made out of glass. The tender touches turning almost desperate with each breath.

Damen buried his nose in Laurent’s hair, a low rumble building in his chest.  
Laurent was so weak, he wanted to shake his head at himself, even while he pushed Damen’s underwear down. "Don’t forget your promise. I want to enjoy you through-fully when we get back.“

Damen chuckled even when he opened a drawer in his desk and got the lube and a condom out. "It’s not as if that’s an obligation for me. I'm looking forward to Thursday, then we finally, have two days off in a row. We wanted to break my record of eight hours.“ 

Laurent felt how the words alone made him incredibly hot. If he was honest, he looked forward to rolling in the sheets with Damen for a whole day too. Maybe even a bit too much. 

He turned around. It was easier this way especially because their pants hung somewhere around mid shin their boots still on. His placed his palms on the edge of his desk. The cold, hard surface grounding him in reality. 

Damen moaned somewhere behind him. "You are killing me. Do you know how fucking beautiful you look right now? A shame that we don’t have time for me to eat you out.“

Laurent bit his bottom lip to keep the lewd sound back. "Hurry up, Damen.“  
His partner touched one hand to his back, following his fingers down Laurent’s spine to his tailbone. The skin he touched was covered in goosebumps.  
"Yes.“ 

Damen covered his back, turned his face and kissed him hungrily before his hands found Laurent’s ass. His fingers were cool and wet with the lube and Laurent gasped when he started to stretch him, first with one finger, then with a second. 

It felt amazing. The feeling of Damen’s long fingers inside him entirely too much and not enough at the same time. The burn of the stretch edged on pain but Damen was careful like always. He didn’t move too fast, he placed kisses on Laurent’s back and asked, "more?“ before he added a third finger. 

Laurent groaned. He wanted more, but he knew that Damen was right to be cautious. His cock was easily above average in size. After a few agonizing moments more, Laurent finally felt Damen’s dick nudge at his entrance. 

"Come on, Damen, you won’t break me.“ Laurent pushed back, feeling how the first inches slipped inside of him. A low moan left his lips. "Fuck.“  
"Jesus! I don’t want to hurt you.“ Damen sounded like he spoke through gritted teeth.  
"You won’t.“ 

He felt as if he would go out of his mind if Damen didn’t just fuck him right now. He wanted like never before. Damen was the first person on this green earth to make him feel so out of control. 

"I’ll take your word for it.“ Damen grabbed his hips and thrust forward. The drag of his cock inside Laurent was perfect, the moan this time was a little bit louder. It fell from Laurent’s lips without his consent but he wouldn’t take it back even if he could because it caused Damen to growl, deep in his chest, and then start pounding into him. 

Normally, their pace was more sedated. Damen enjoying to take Laurent apart piece by piece but now there was nothing slow or cautious about their fucking. It was raw, animalistic and damn hot. Damen’s hands on him left his skin burning, as if on fire. When he hit Laurent’s prostate head on, another gasp tumbled over his lips. 

"I love hearing you make that noise.“ Damen’s voice was close to his ear. His breath coming in little puffs against Laurent’s neck. "I will never get enough of you.“

"Never is a long time in that particular context,“ Laurent sounded breathless to his own ears, another gasp followed his words, when Damen slammed him back onto his cock.

"I know but you relativize all notions of finitude.“  
Laurent moaned. For fucks sake, he loved to hear Damen talk like that. 

His partner took his cock in hand and started to stroke him in time with his thrusts. "That’s it, sweetheart. I want to feel you come.“ Damen’s voice was close to a purr. It made Laurent want to moan and give in to the pleasure. "Fuck. Damen.“

Damen growled again, picking up his pace. He hit Laurent’s prostate with each thrust dead on. It was driving him out of his mind. The sensations almost too much for his brain to comprehend. Yet, he was still coherent enough to push back. His grip on the edge of his desk firm. 

"Yes, just like that.“ Laurent could feel his orgasm nearing. Every time he was surprised again by how easily Damen could push him over the edge. It was almost ludicrous.  
"Yeah? You like that?“  
"Fuck. Yes. Damen, I’m close.“ Laurent pushed back, he felt Damen’s fingers tighten on his hips.  
"Come for me, sweetheart.“

He didn’t know if he was pushed over the edge by Damen’s moan, his words or his cock hitting his prostate, most likely a combination of all these things. Laurent felt how he spilled in Damen’s hand, whose rhythm stuttered, his hips slotting against Laurent’s ass. Damen folded over his back, a breathless "Laurent“ escaping him when he came. 

They stayed like that for a few moments before Damen pulled back and Laurent straightened. He handed Damen some wipes from his desk, cleaned himself up and pulled his pants back on. His partner kissed him quickly but sweetly and finished cleaning up and dressing. 

"We have to hurry.“ Laurent realized when he put on his ear piece and looked at his watch. Damen smiled sappily at him. He was gorgeous. Laurent smiled back when he made his way to the door. 

Before he could open it, Damen came over and pulled him close. "Just one more kiss.“  
He slotted his lips against Laurent’s and kissed him passionately. Damen was an excellent kisser and Laurent was always left breathless whenever he was on the receiving end of one of his kisses. 

Accordingly, he was out of breath when they left the office. Nik, who was talking to Kashel raised an eyebrow. Laurent first ignored him, but when Nik asked, "Relaxing break?“ he couldn’t hold back anymore.  
"Yes, very. I assure you, Auguste loves this kind of relaxing break too, I heard enough stories.“  
He enjoyed the way Nik’s jaw slowly sunk open without closing again. Yes, that felt very gratifying.

They made it to the field exactly two minutes before the class started. Vannes and Isander waving them over. "What were you two doing after lunch? We thought you wouldn’t make it.“

"We had some urgent business to attend to.“ Laurent didn’t elaborate and Damen felt so damn turned on by the way his partner referred to their little adventure in their office. "It was a rather hard problem to solve.“ 

Damen almost chocked on his own spit. This was horrible, his partner was a devil, he wanted to kill him, that much was obvious. Vannes threw him a strange look but didn’t comment on his reaction. Then she grinned and made a lewd gesture. Why did his team have to be an assortment of different pains in the neck? 

Damen was damn glad when Charls started talking to their group again.  
"The afternoon is split in three different exercises. First you and your partner need to answer each other’s questions, you all received the list with questions on your work phone. Laurent, Damen could I use you as an example?“

Damen had already expected something like that. Obviously Charls would ask them to demonstrate. He had been so utterly taken by Laurent it was ridiculous.  
"Yes, sure.“ Resistance was futile.

"Good. Then Laurent ask Damen the first questions, please.“ His partner looked down on his phone and asked the first questions on the list. Damen had looked over them shortly when he received the e-mail.

"Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?“  
It was an easy question. Damen smiled. "My mother. She died when I was still a teenager, I would like the chance to talk to her again.“  
Laurent looked at him with a small smile on his lips. It was tender, caring and oh so lovely. "She would be very proud of you.“

Charls cleared his throat. "That’s exactly what we would like to achieve. Trust your partner with whatever you are feeling comfortable with. Now Laurent please answer the question as well.“  
Laurent contemplated his answer much longer than Damen. "I think I’d pick the first scientists who discovered the Eppione.8 vaccine. They wanted to cure the Melanoe virus but created a whole new species. That would be a pretty fascinating dinner.“

"Thank you. Please continue with the second question, I will inform you when to change to the next one. All the others please start with question 1.“

They did as they were told. There were a lot of questions, 36 in total and Damen knew Laurent felt wrung dry after answering every single one of them. His partner was not one for sharing so much personal information in one go. But he did it, nonetheless.

After they finished with the last questions, which was "Share a personal problem and ask your partner how they would handle it. Also ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen“, Laurent leaned close and whispered, "if I had to answer these questions to anyone else but you I would have refused.“  
Damen smiled, he wanted to kiss him. It was almost too much to hold back right then. 

"Thank you all very much. I would now like to relocate. Our group will have to complete a task of solving different problems. You and your partner get three different riddles you need to solve.“ 

Damen stood and helped Laurent so his feet. He squeezed his hand before he let go again. "Thank you for sharing all these things with me.“  
"Thank you, Damen. I really appreciate it.“ Laurent smiled a bit tired, but honest. 

They followed Charls, all of them feeling a bit reverent. Nobody joked but most of them were in deep conversations with their partner. Damen watched his own partner closely. His heart squeezed in his chest. If he could have loved the man more than he did before their exercise, he would do so now. The thought startled him. 

He realized that it was true. He loved Laurent and he loved him more than he ever thought possible. It wasn’t even a shock. It felt as if it was the most natural consequence in the world. As if everything in his life lead up to that exact realization. He loved Laurent Leblanc, his partner, his friend, his most trusted person. 

When Laurent looked up to him, it didn’t feel as if his whole world had turned upside down. No, for Damen it felt as if everything fell into place. Right where it belonged.  
"Damen?“ He sounded inquiring almost worried.

Damen couldn‘t help the bright smile that stole on his lips. Even if Laurent wouldn‘t love him in the same way he would never regret feeling this. The overwhelming love for someone else was almost magic, Damen knew he would do anything to make Laurent happy and that made him see how insignificant all his other flings or relationships were. 

"I am fine. Come I want to see the riddles. Maybe you already solved them.“  
Laurent still observed him, then a smirk stole itself on his lips and he replied, "even if I didn‘t, they won‘t be too difficult.“  
"Yes. For you at least.“ Damen laughed and sat down at one of the tables under the shade of their outdoor break terrace.

Charls instructed them to the riddles. All of them needed to be solved as a team. Damen just followed Laurent‘s instruction to a T. Laurent grinned up to him in childlike fascination. The last riddle was the most difficult one and Laurent‘s forhead creased while he worked on it. Damen held the block of metal bars however Laurent wanted it and admired his concentrated face.

"What is it, Damen?“  
"Nothing. I just admire your efforts.“ He leaned in closer and whispered, "your expression right now is very sexy.“

Laurent looked up, a startled laugh tumbling over his lips. "You are such a charmer. No wonder even my mother is taken by you. If you continue like this my whole family will be enchanted by you.“  
"Why, are you all weak to the truth?“  
"See? That‘s exactly what I mean.“ 

Laurent redirected his focus back on the metal cube. Damen observed him closely and then pushed one bar out of the cube what caused the whole cube to fall to its pieces.  
Laurent gaped at him. "How did you do it?“  
"Easy, I just went with the process of elimination. You shook your head at almost every single bar but this one so I pushed it out and oh wonder, it was the right one.“ Damen grinned. 

"You seriously remembered all 31 times I shook my head?“ Laurent stared at him, still shell-shocked.  
"Yes. As I told you, your concentrated face is damn hot.“ Damen put the remenants of the riddle down on the table. 

He enjoyed his talk with Laurent a whole lot. Especially when his partner leaned back and raised an eyebrow. "Good to know that in the most dire of situations you can at least admire my face.“  
"I honestly have to say, I feel very blessed too.“ Damen grinned while returning Laurent‘s piercing gaze.

Both of them startled when Charls appeared at their table. The professor gaped for a short moment.  
"You already finished.“ It was a statement but somehow Damen still felt compelled to answer. "We did. Well, mostly Laurent did. I was just assisting. He loves riddles.“ It sounded a lot like an excuse. 

Charls however only nodded, still a bit dazed and then told them to go on a break and come back in half an hour. Laurent stood and started to walk to the stairs that led to the terrasse. Damen felt a bit lost.

"What are you waiting for? The eighth world wonder to appear?“ Laurent‘s voice ripped him out of his forlorn state and Damen joined him. "I was unsure if you wanted me to come with you.“

"I always want you to come with me.“ Laurent grinned and Damen felt how his breath caught in his chest. Another agent who just descended the stairs tripped over his feet while starring at Laurent‘s smile. Only Damen‘s outstreched arm kept him from tumbling down the last third of the steps.

"Are you alright?“  
"Yes. Thank you.“ The man was beet red and Damen almost laughed. Laurent‘s smiling face was destructive. Especially if one didn‘t see it regularly.  
Damen followed Laurent upstairs. He had a fantastic view of his boyfriend's ass. 

In the cafeteria, they saw Nik and Auguste talking. Laurent stopped Damen in his approach. They hid behind a column. Damen didn't really think it would work until Laurent stepped closer towards him. Then he thought nothing at all anymore.

"I know what you mean. It's cute. By the way, are you free this Friday?" Auguste asked in that moment. Damen would have loved to know what exactly was cute but he couldn't pop up between them and ask.

"If you want me to, I am." Never before had Damen hear Nik's voice sound like that. Deep and husky, like satin. His mouth fell open. Laurent before him began to shake. When Damen dared to look down, the mirth in Laurent's eyes and his shaking shoulders almost killed him.  
"Shhht."  
Laurent's silent laughter only increased.

Damen tried to refocus on the conversation between Auguste and Nik. Auguste answered, "I want you to. Please. My mother is pestering me to bring you and Damen along to our family dinner."  
"Interesting. You talked with your mother about me?" Nik sounded intrigued. Now Laurent grinned brightly.

"I… yes… I mean no… well, maybe. Jesus. It was Laurent's fault entirely." Auguste stuttered and Damen felt how his jaw hit the floor. Auguste never stuttered. He was the personification of self-confidence. What was happening here?

Nik chuckled. "Would you care to elaborate?"  
Auguste sighed. "I talked about you once or twice maybe, but then Laurent the little minx told my mother that you look, and I quote, 'very fuckable' and immediately my mother wanted to meet you."  
Nik snickered. 

Damen loved the guy, but he was also shocked by what he had learned. "You think Nik looks fuckable?" he whispered to Laurent who grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "If he keeps his mouth closed he looks very pretty, but as soon as he starts talking everything else becomes secondary to his nagging."

"At least I know where your brother gets his antics from. I promise I will be there." 

Still, Damen couldn't get over the fact that Laurent thought Nik looked fuckable.  
"You really think that Nik out of all people looks fuckable?"

Laurent sighed. "Damen, darling, he doesn't look as fuckable as you do." He sounded as if he had to sooth a child but that was not even important. Because when Damen heard Laurent call him darling, his heart stopped, his brain short-circuited and his whole body froze.  
He didn't even hear how Nik and Auguste went away. 

"You called me darling."  
Laurent looked up to him, a smile on his lips. "I did. And you liked it."  
"I did. Very much." Damen felt himself unravel. 

He took Laurent's wrist and dragged him to the closest bathroom. Fortunately, no one was there. He opened a stall, pushed Laurent inside and closed the door behind them, then he had him pressed against the wall and ravaged his mouth.

Laurent gasped for breath but Damen just buried his hands in his hair, tilted his head back and dragged his tongue over his lips. Laurent's taste exploded in his mouth and it made Damen crave him even more. He loved this man through and through.

When he finally pulled back a few inches, Laurent's breath came in puffs against his lips. "If I had known you would react that way, I would have called you darling much sooner."  
Damen groaned. "Stop it. We need to go back and if you call me darling once more I swear we won't make it to the next exercise."

Laurent pressed his lips together, a twinkle in his eyes and Damen was sure his partner thought about calling him darling again just to be contrary. But he kept his mouth shut and nodded. "I know what I am going to do tonight."

Damen bit his bottom lip. He was so screwed.

They made their way out to their group again. Damen still very much flustered, Laurent cool as one can be.  
They were a bit early but some other teams had finished too and waited a bit at the side for the others. Damen knew he would be the center of attention soon enough if they joined them.

"Go on, I will confirm our dinner with my mother for Friday." Laurent waved a hand in the general direction of the other agents. His hair glinted in the sun like spun gold and Damen didn't want to leave his side. But then Laurent quirked his lips and said, "they want to talk to you, so please, just do what you do best. Charm them to your hearts content."

Obviously, Damen didn't have a choice after that. He went over and talked to the agents he knew and the ones he didn't. It was fun and he loved every minute of it. When Charls instructed them to follow him, they did as they were told. Damen looked for his partner immediately.

Laurent was in a conversation with Vannes and Isander. He seemed contend. Damen slowly but surely made his way over to them. Just when he reached his three team members, Charls came to a stop.

They stood before a military training run. Multiple obstacles had to be taken before one reached ones destination. Damen knew the routine in his sleep. Most other agent's didn’t.

Charls smiled. "Now to finish our class, each pair has to take on this training run. After you finish you are dismissed. I thank you all for your cooperation and hope that your partnerships bloom into something extraordinary. Whoever would like to know more, there are several follow up classes you can take with the THIRDS. I teach a lot of them myself. I really look forward to see some of you in one of the other classes. Have a nice day." Charls smiled warmly.

Damen grinned at Laurent. "Come on, partner. We will finish in no time." He looked forward to going home and taking his time with Laurent in one of their beds.

Laurent sighed but took the first position with him. The other agents were a bit hesitant and that was just what Damen wanted. He started the timer on his watch and ran to the first obstacle. It was a climbing wall and he started climbing up while Laurent followed in a much more sedated pace.

When they reached the platform, there were ropes you had to shimmy along until you reached the next platform. Laurent grinned and let him go first.

"What?"  
"Nothing, I just enjoy the view."  
"What you mean is that you are blatantly staring at my ass." Damen teased.  
"And your arms." Laurent answered without a hint of shame in his tone. "You have very nice arms." 

Damen laughed, he even had to snicker while he was still hanging from the ropes. That posed the much needed challange, otherwise the exercise would have been boring.  
They made it over and Damen jumped down. Ignoring the climbing handles. He didn't need them, cats always landed on their feet. 

He looked up. "Now, sweetheart, care to jump into my arms?" He smiled at his partner and reached his arms out.  
Laurent raised an eyebrow. "You think I won't do it."  
Damen hesitated. He would almost bet his favorite mug that Laurent wouldn't do it. But then his partner surprised him all the time.

"Will you?"  
Laurent grinned, boyishly and bright and then he jumped. Damen caught him, the surprise not keeping him from keeping Laurent save. "Good catch." Laurent's voice in his ear sent goosebumps all over his back. Damen sucked in a sharp breath. "Thank you."

Laurent jumped down from Damen's arms and ran to the next obstacle. It was a pole where one had to climb up. They started to climb and Damen once again admired his partner's abilities. He was still slower but he was damn fast for a human.

They finished the run in no time at all. Happy, out of breath, and sweating they arrived at the finish line. Damen high-fived Laurent and grinned at him. "Good work, partner."

"Remind me to never do that again with you, you giant animal. Fuck. I think I am going to cough my lungs out." Laurent panted while playfully glaring at Damen. "You and your competitive streak. I think the two of you will be the death of me."

He was bending over, his hands on his knees. Gulping in air. His face was flushed red, his hair tousled and his chest raising and falling in rapid breaths. He was perfect and he was Damen's. He almost couldn't believe it.

Why again didn‘t they just kiss right there and then? Damen‘s brain had still enough functioning capacity to supply him with two reasons. One, Laurent would most likely kill him if he dared to kiss him now when he was still short of breath. Two, if he kissed Laurent now each and every single agent from the THIRDS would know that they were a thing. 

Fortunately Charls came over and smiled at them. "You two should consider taking part in the research project I am currently doing. It‘s about human/therian partnerships. Most of the time this means a romantic relationship but in your case we can also talk about a work relationship. Would you mind if I send you the details?“  
"No. Not at all.“ Damen grinned and shook his hand. Laurent did the same and then the two of them made their way over to the shower.

They were not alone, multiple other agents who had finished their training occupying some of the showers, and Damen concentrated hard on the tiled wall across from him. He couldn‘t think about Laurent, naked, all wet, lathered up with his shower gel- Damn. His mind did whatever it wanted. He bit his lower lip. Maybe the pain would distract him.

It worked for the most part and then Leonardo, a team leader from Unit Alpha came over. He was loud and domineering. Damen didn‘t like him at all. Even before he heard him talk about Laurent as if he was a piece of meat.

"Damen, how is everything hanging?“  
Jesus, was he serious?  
"I am fine. How are you, Leonardo?“ The man grinned and patted Damen‘s shoulder. "I am feeling great. Now, I know we had a bit of a clash over your partner but I assure you I meant no disrespect.“

Damen almost laughed. "You said he just needs to be through-fully fucked for his icy demeanor to melt away to the sweetest submission one can imagine. How is this not disrespecting?“  
Leonardo flinched. Some of the other agents took notice now. Laurent was, fortunately, not among them.

"Yes. I know. I didn‘t mean it like that. I don‘t want any bad blood between us.“ He smiled winningly.  
"Well, in this case you shouldn‘t apologize to me.“ Damen shrugged, as if it didn‘t matter to him.  
Leonardo grimaced. "I promise I will talk to Laurent. But I actually wanted to ask you if Laurent has indicated if he wants to go to the fall ball?“ 

Damen couldn‘t believe it. How insolent could one person be?  
"I have no idea. Ask him yourself and now, please excuse me.“ Damen turned around. Almost stomping to his locker. 

Laurent looked up when he arrived, his forehead furrowed. "What happened?“  
"Nothing.“ Damen gritted his teeth, he felt how the muscles in his neck tensed up. Laurent stepped closer. 

Fortunately nobody else from Ambush Alpha was here, the row of their lockers empty except for them, or they would have provided an awful lot of fodder for Lazar‘s gossip. His scent invaded Damen‘s angry thoughts. 

When he brushed his fingers against Damen‘s lower abdomen, he could feel how the muscles in his neck relaxed. Laurent leaned in close, already dressed in his tactical pants and undershirt. Still, Damen could see every single muscle beneath his shirt, it drove him almost crazy. 

"Hurry up, I want to get tumbled.“ It was spoken in a teasing manner but Damen knew Laurent meant every word. He bit his lower lip and hurried to get dressed. They practically ran out of the building. Damen even letting Laurent drive them. They would be faster with his partner weaving through the traffic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your information: The questions I used for their first exercise are from the following work "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness..." (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167297234003)


	3. How we gonna fix that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo...  
> Yes, this is a bit earlier than I expected. Actually, I thought I wouldn't finish until Monday but then today happened.  
> It was so fucking hot I couldn't leave any building for longer than absolutely necessary. So I just stayed inside and when I got home (finally, close to a heatstroke) I went to shower and then wrote this chapter.  
> I am crazy and I am so sorry for this whole upload mess. But now you have something for the weekend? *self-deprecating smile*
> 
> Now what should I do on my weekend? My options are so limited, as my darling is working the whole time and I am sitting at home, alone (no I don't even have a pet... because we both are a bit workaholics and a potential pet would only suffer...)
> 
> As a result, I thought about creating the calendar mentioned in the chapter (you will see what I mean or better read it)... Would anyone of you be interested in my little "fan calendar?"  
> I will do it anyway as I have no other hobbies (this is a joke but I can't really engage in them with COVID-19, the heat and my exhaustion) but the question is if you'd like to see it.  
> I could upload it here somewhere? or on tumblr? I don't even know what I can do. Oh I have Pinterest that's also an option. Just share what you think I will do it gladly. I just don't want to force an image of the characters of this story on you that you totally don't want to see. Let your imagination run free... so I really need your feedback!
> 
> Sorry for my rambling. I will stop here for now.  
> Best wishes and have a nice weekend.

The next day Damen and Nik sat in their car alone when Nik groaned loud and pained and thudded his head against the doorframe. Damen threw him a surprised look. Nik never lost his composure like that out of the blue. 

"What have I done?“  
"Nothing. For once you didn‘t do anything. I even have to admit that Laurent might be the best that could happen to someone like you.“

"Wow. Who are you and what did you do to my best friend?“ Damen asked jokingly.  
"He was driven out of his mind by the other Leblanc brother. The one you‘re not fucking.“ Nik sighed. 

"What did Auguste do?“  
"As you already know, we are invited for family dinner on Friday.“  
Damen nodded to indicate that he understood.  
"We both know that their mother is absolutely charmed by you. I think Laurent is obviously taking after her, by the way. But then Auguste told me yesterday that Laurent said I looked „fuckable“, whatever that means, and now I have to come too.“

Damen laughed. He was relieved that he already knew what Laurent had said.  
"Now Niki, you have exactly two choices, one, you fake a headache and don‘t come and disappoint the whole Leblanc family or two, you come with me and suffer through it. Maybe it will even be fun.“

Nikandros groaned again. "I will be there.“  
"You could still just grab Auguste, kiss him senseless and then get rid of your frustrations through very heated sex. I would totally approve of him.“ 

Damen grinned and Nik made a noise that was close to a whine. It shouldn‘t be as hilarious as it was but Damen had his two best friends both lamenting the fact that they didn‘t fuck to him. It was ludicrous.

"You know what? That‘s the fucking idea. Why didn‘t I think about that sooner?“  
"No need to get sarcastic Niki. Now smile, we arrived.“ 

Auguste already waited outside for them. A bright smile on his face, the top his hair pulled back in a messy bun, now just the right length.  
"Please kill me. How can he look like that in the early morning?“ Nik muttered and Damen laughed. 

Laurent, who stood beside his brother looked as if he would bite someone‘s head off if they talked to him. The brothers climbed into the car and while Laurent closed his eyes and ignored all of them Auguste started up a conversation with Damen about the new position as instructor that would open in a few months. 

"Your father asked me if I wanted to do it.“  
Damen nodded. He already knew that. He would be sad if Auguste took the position and wasn‘t a team leader anymore.

"I refused, obviously. I love my team and I love the field work. I‘m going to do it for as long as I can. But I heard that the instructor is going to work closely with the teams. They want to prepare the rookies better for what they might see in the field.“ 

Nik scoffed. "As if they could ever do that. I am still shocked sometimes. A rookie will never get the experience in a few call outs. They should first be pampered by their team and test out the water slowly. It‘s no good idea if we just take them with us like little ducklings.“

"Come on, Nik, you would do a great job as duck mother,“ Damen teased and that got even a laugh from Laurent. "But you are right. If they see what awaits them out there too soon they might be too shocked to finish their training. And some team leaders might take the call outs as an opportunity to then neglect the safety of their rookies. I really hope the new person is competent and knows what they are doing.“ 

Auguste and Nik discussed possible candidates and both of them settled on Torveld who had a lot of experience, was tired of the field work and loved to teach younger agents the ropes. 

"Then Unit Alpha will get a new team leader,“ Laurent commented.  
"Yep. They will first ask Nik.“ Damen replied and then parked the car. 

They walked to the elevators at HQ and made their way up to Unit Alpha. Auguste joining them. The early mornings and late evenings the only time he indulged in elevator rides.

"And I will decline. I have no interest in leading a team.“ Nik shrugged and shuffled closer to Damen when more agents entered the elevator.  
"Well, we will see what happens.“ Damen grinned, then he saw how the agents stared at Laurent. He didn‘t think much about it. Everyone stared at Laurent. 

But when they arrived at their floor, still everyone stared at Laurent and at least here the staring had lessened over the last weeks. Laurent sighed. Auguste furrowed his brow. "Why are they all staring?“

"I have no idea but Lazar will soon tell us.“  
Lazar had a bounce in his step when he came over and that was no good sign.  
"Laurent. I am so happy to see you.“ He grinned brightly. "You will never guess what I found out yesterday when you were at your cuddling class with our team leader.“

"Spit it out.“ Laurent stared him down and Lazar pouted. "That‘s no way to talk to me.“  
"I talk to you however you deserve and right now you are being a noisy idiot. Therefore, spit it out.“ 

Damen still admired how Laurent did it because Lazar didn‘t protest and instead answered.  
"You were the world champion in Savate while you were still in University. And then you got multiple advertising contracts, were discovered as model and photographed for Calvin Klein.“

Laurent sighed. "That was one time and Auguste was there too. Please, it was just a coincidence. And the whole Savate champion thing isn‘t such a big deal.“

Damen, who already knew all that just grinned. Laurent had told him from the Savate world championship and from the one campaign for Calvin Klein. 

Lazar narrowed his eyes. "First of all: Auguste was there too?"  
"Yes, that's what I just stated, isn't it? It's no big deal. I think the photos were not used for an advertising campaign but a calendar."

"You did a calendar photoshoot. The both of you and I just get to know about it now. Your betrayal hurts me." Lazar dramatically flung himself into Nik, who gaped at the brothers. 

Then he focused on Damen. "You knew. You knew and didn't tell me!"  
"What about the photoshoot? Yes, I knew about it and I didn't tell you because Laurent said it was no big deal. If he had told me it was for a calendar I would have insisted to get a look." 

Damen crossed his arms before his chest and Laurent sighed. "See? That's exactly why I didn't tell you. We were both beginners. It was a bloody nightmare and I didn't ever look at the photos. I don't know what the calendar looks like."

Auguste grinned. "I did look at it and I can assure you, we look hot as hell." He saluted to them and then went to the direction of his office.

"Laurent, you do not still have this calendar, do you? Just look at Nik. He won't be able to sleep if he doesn't get to see Auguste, half naked." Lazar used his best puppy eyes but he was a tiger therian, so they were not really impressive. 

Laurent only raised an eyebrow. "Fine, Nik can look at it if he wants but only Nik."  
Now Damen couldn't keep the enraged sound back. "What? I want to see it too."  
"Nope." Laurent popped the "P" like the bubble of Damen's hopes and dreams. Why was the world so cruel to him? 

Laurent winked at him and went to their office. Damen whined, "Why only you, Nik? You two don't even like each other."  
"What? I never said that! I like Laurent. You just want me to sympathize with you because you are my best friend."

"Exactly. Isn't that what you should do?"  
Lazar at least nodded fervently.  
Nik shrugged. "Seriously, I won't let this opportunity slip through my fingers. As Lazar already told you, I won't be able to sleep otherwise." He grinned and then walked away.

Damen pouted. "I will look into Themis."  
"There is nothing to be found. I already checked. We need to break in Laurent's apartment and steal the calendar." Lazar smiled like a devil and 

Damen only shook his head. "No. If Laurent doesn't want us to look at it and not even Themis can help us, then so be it. I won't break his trust just to see some photos." 

He leaned in closer to Lazar with a grin on his face. "I can look at him naked in bed, that's 1000 times better."  
"You, Damianos Vallis, are a cruel man."  
Damen laughed and went to follow Laurent. 

In their office his partner was sprawled with grace over his chair.  
He wanted to tell him that it was no problem if he never saw the photos. That he enjoyed watching Laurent whrite beneath him in pleasure infinitively more. That Laurent was the most enchanting being he had ever laid his eyes on. But then their earpiece sounded for their call out. 

They made their way to the armory, the rest of the team joining them.  
Halvik informed them over their earpieces that it was a hostage situation in a bank. They geared up and made their way to the bearcat. While they drove to the address of the bank, Themis provided more information. Laurent looked it over together with Halvik.

"There are fifteen hostages, three perps, all of them armored. At least one therian. HPF is on location."  
Damen nodded at that. That meant they couldn't just do their job, they also had to handle the human police force. Most HPF officers had no love left for the THIRDS. They didn't like that the THIRDS would take over from them whenever therians were involved.

And, if Damen was completely honest, most HPF officers hated therians in general. Racism was widely spread in their ranks. They arrived, exited the bearcat and Damen ordered them to take position.

"Lykaios, you find the HPF negotiator. See if they already have established contact. Vannes, I need you in the building across the street. You know the drill. I will leave the decision in your hands."  
She nodded, then went to one of the buildings. Her sniper riffle slung over her shoulder.

"Nik, I need to get an entry point from the back. If the worst comes to the worst, we need to get inside as fast as possible."  
Nik saluted and started to study the plans.

"Lazar, Pallas, you need to shift, you need to stay on stand-by. Isander, get your first aid kit. We might need it and keep close to Nik. If he has an entry point you move there."

This left him with Nicaise, Kashel and Laurent. How to distribute them best? He needed someone to talk to the HPF officers, all three of them would not be his first choice for the job. 

Nicaise was a no-go. He hated stupid people and didn't even try to be civil if someone irked him the wrong way. Kashel was too honest for her own good. That left Laurent.

Perfect. Damen wanted to sigh. "Kashel, Nicaise, you go clear the perimeter of civilians. I want the whole area clear, understood? Take all the officers you need."

They went off and Damen looked at his partner. "I need you to talk with the HPF officer in charge. I will go to Lykaios and assist. Sometimes Therians don't want to talk with human negotiators."

Laurent looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "And you need me to comfort the leading HPF officer? Well, out of the three choices you had, it makes sense."

"I know you and I know you can charm anyone if you set your mind to it." Damen shrugged. Laurent quirked his lips in a sardonic smile. "I will do my best." He turned around and together they went to Lykaios. 

Just as they suspected, the leading HPF officer was there and looked not happy at all.  
Damen groaned lowly when he saw the man. "Damn it."

Laurent looked in his direction. "What is it?"  
"This is Detective Grieves, he hates me." Damen grimaced. "I think this will be a fuckup of epic proportions."

"Agent Vallis! It was clear you were involved in this." The police detective sneered at him. Laurent kept in the background for the moment and observed the situation.

"Detective Grieves, we were called out from our operating center. I didn't know that your team was on site." Damen tried to smile. He really did, but it was not easy to keep his temper in check. Did they really have to talk about their one-sided feud right now?

"Sure. And who is that?" The detective nodded towards Laurent, who stepped forward and shook the man's hand. "I am Laurent Leblanc. Agent Vallis new partner. A pleasure meeting you."

Laurent smiled, it looked honest, dazzling and charming, but it didn't reach his eyes. Damen could see it.  
Detective Grieves however was fooled by it. "You poor fellow. Being stuck with someone like him."

Laurent's performance was worth an academy award at least. He blinked, startled, wide-eyed and innocent. "What are you talking about Detective Grieves? How long do you know Damianos?"

Agent Grieves smiled, although it was more a showing of teeth. "Yes, Agent Leblanc, I have a long history with Agent Vallis." Laurent's surprised face was looking so genuine, even Damen believed him.

"Really? Would you mind telling me more? Your negotiator is very competent, I am sure. He doesn't need you to supervise, does he?"  
"Obviously not! My people are the best out there."  
Laurent smiled again, stars in his eyes. "Yes, I heard that HPF has some of the best officers in the 8th precinct. I always wanted to talk to one of the detectives from there."

Damen knew it had to hurt Laurent physically to sweet-talk like that, but he continued without batting an eyelash. "I would love to hear from you what your strategy is in this hostage situation. Would you mind telling me? I am still very inexperienced."

He had taken some steps away from the negotiator car. The detective following him and nodding generously. "Yes, agent Leblanc, I will share with you our strategy. You have to know, in HPF we work as a team. It's not my strategy alone, my people do their best and together we get the best out of the situation…"

They were far enough away for Detective Grieves to be out of earshot. The HPF negotiator already talked with Lykaios. "Damen, we had a first contact. Our contact is called Paul, he does want to talk with the therian officer in charge."

Damen nodded. He had already expected it. He took the phone from Lykaios. "Hello Paul?"  
"Who is there?"  
"My name is Damianos Vallis, team leader of Ambush Alpha from the THIRDS."  
"Are you therian?"  
"I am."  
"Come around the car and show me your tattoo." 

Damen looked at Lykaios and she wrote that he should first get a promise that nobody would shoot him. He did and then went around the car. He stood on an empty square and slowly pulled the neck of his uniform down. He turned his throat so that his black tattoo was visible.

"Fine. I believe you. A lion therian then."  
"Yes." Damen nodded.  
"I am a wolf therian, I worked in the security here."

Over his earpiece Damen heard Lykaios talking to him. He repeated exactly what she told him, and, in the end, he was even sympathetic towards the man. They had fired him after the incident on Marlas First Avenue with the feral therians.

Their reasoning was that people were afraid of entering the bank if the security team was composed of more therians than humans.  
"Who are the others?"  
"They worked here with me too. We are pack. Damianos, please, we just want to get out of here without being shot." 

Paul was reasonable. He knew he wouldn't get away with what they had done. He also knew that HPF was on site.  
"If you let the hostages go and come out without resistance, I guarantee you that nothing will happen to you."

Detective Grieves, who had come back shook his head. "We can't know if he keeps his promise of being unarmed."  
Damen snarled at him. "This operation is under my command, detective. You won't try to interfere, and neither will your officers. I swear to god, if you jeopardize this operation, I will see to it that you will never again set even one foot into law enforcement. Have I made myself clear?"

Then he turned back to the phone. "If I see the hostages come out, I will come to you. Then we can talk face to face. I will escort you to the car myself."  
"Fine, but only you and one other person of your team can come."  
"Understood."

Damen gave the phone to Lykaios.  
"I will come with you." Laurent stood by his side, a determined look on his face as if he expected Damen to argue with him.  
"Yes." Damen nodded in agreement. 

He was no fool. They could walk right into a trap, but he wouldn't want anyone else but Laurent by his side. His partner looked surprised but also pleased. They made their way to the square and when they stood in the middle the door opened and the hostages were released one after the other. 

Laurent and Damen directed them over to the care teams then they made their way into the bank. The three men stood warily on one side of the door. Damen raised his hands to show them that they didn't intend to threaten them. 

"Paul, this is my partner Laurent Leblanc. We will now cuff you and bring you outside. There we will enter our car and drive to THIRDS HQ where you will be investigated. Is the procedure clear for all of you?"  
The three nodded. One of them was in tears, the other two looked intimidated and very worried. Damen and Laurent did their job, but somehow it didn't sit right. 

The way back to HQ was a solemn issue. All of them where silent, lost in their own thoughts. The three perps were brought in, Nikandros and Lykaios questioned them while Damen wrote the report with Laurent finalizing the take-over from the HPF. 

"Are you alright?" Laurent watched him closely. Damen shook his head. He was not okay, and he knew it. Laurent stood up, walked around their desks and hugged Damen close to him. Damen buried his face in his partner's chest.

"It's okay, Damen. You don't have to feel on top of the world all the time."  
Damen just took one deep breath. His partner smelled familiar, a bit like home. His hands were tender when they stroked Damen's curls. 

He felt how something in him unfurled. "I just don't know what is wrong with this world. Why can't we just try to accept each other? Why does there have to be so much hate out there?"

Laurent sighed. "Most people are not like you, Damen. Don't try to shoulder the burden of the world alone. You do what you can, you are an amazing person and the job you do takes a lot out of you. Don't try to give more than you have."

Damen felt how his throat closed up. It was just too much for him. He didn't think that Paul and his friends deserved what they got. He thought that the humans, who took their base of existence from them, deserved some punishment too. He saw injustice left and right and somehow it made him so tired.

Laurent took his face in his hands and smiled, sweet and tender. "Come, let's go to the sleeping bays. I don't feel like driving and you look as if you'll kneel over any moment. We both need sleep and tomorrow the world will appear completely different."

Damen nodded. He had no energy to argue. He took his card to one of the private sleeping bays and followed Laurent.

Laurent made sure he got into bed after brushing his teeth, he made sure to let a little light on, in case a nightmare would haunt Damen, he even laid out a fresh uniform for him and then he crawled into the bed close to him and held him close.

Damen was grateful that it was nothing strange if two partners slept in the same bay. They all had days where they just couldn't be alone. Nobody would judge them for it. 

He felt Laurent's fingers at the base of his skull, drawing little swirls and scrapping over the skin of his scalp. It felt heavenly and Laurent's soothing voice, telling him a story about fairies and pixies, lulled him to a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay not yet completely finished... I just realize I have to a lot to say and can't talk to enough people currently... it drives me crazy (yes, I am one of those people who really want to talk to people and then fret over questions like: "Was I talking too much? Were they bored? Should I talk to them ever again? etc..." It's funny but then not really hahahaha)  
> Gosh, what am I writing here? You see? That's what the heat does to my brain. And the exhaustion because I couldn't sleep at all.
> 
> Soooo, what I actually wanted to ask here is, if you'd prefer one longer story again like Brains Out or multiple shorter stories? Does it even matter to you? Does it not?  
> And most important: Do you even want to read more about this universe? I have one other chapter/one-shot finished but after that it depends if you'd like to read more. As I am spamming you all with content I don't want to overstrain your good-will.
> 
> Now I will definitively shut up. The comments to the last chapter will be answered on a later base as I should finish some other business right now.


	4. Calendar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers. I got only positive feedback towards my calendar question xD Thus I created two tumblr posts with the images.  
> If some of you can't access them, but would like to see them anyway, just write me, we will find a solution!  
> Thank you for all your feedback you are amazing and I love to hear from you.

The link to the [first part of the calendar](https://dreamdropxoxo.tumblr.com/post/625352449870430208/hello-you-all-here-is-the-first-part-of-my-fan) on tumblr.

The link to the [second part of the calendar](https://dreamdropxoxo.tumblr.com/post/625352456776368128/hello-you-all-here-is-the-second-part-of-my-fan) on tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after you looked at it... what's your favorite month? xD  
> Is there even a favorite?


	5. Why is everything black and white?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers!   
> Thank you so much for your comments, kudos and support in general. Here is the new chapter, I'd like to warn you, that in this chapter racism and discrimination do play a big part of the story.   
> Stay safe and healthy. I promise, soon there will be more fluff again :)

Damen had known it was no good idea to come along for grocery shopping. And he had been right.

It all began when Laurent, still at work on Wednesday evening, insisted on cooking a traditional dish from the north of the republic for their shared dinner with Nik and Auguste, and realized that he needed some ingredients he didn’t have at home.

Laurent, being the stubborn, amazing man he was, decided that they should go shopping. Damen tried to convince him to just cook something else but Laurent wasn't deterred. He told Damen that he would cook if they finally had a weekend together.

Actually, their "weekend" was a Thursday and Friday, but Damen didn't really split hairs. Two days in a row away from work counted as a weekend for him.

They decided to spend the time at Laurent's apartment and after they got home, Damen had almost had a stroke when he saw Laurent's fridge. He could not live like that for two days. They would need pretty much everything for a balanced diet. Most important of all vegetables.

Damen gave in as soon as he realized that they would most likely eat either fast food for two days or nothing at all if they didn't go grocery shopping. 

When Laurent finally said, "Fine. You can buy whatever you think we might need. I won't keep you from your mission of eating like a supermodel, but you have to come with me or I will just buy whatever I deem necessary and we already established that your definition and my definition of necessary are diametrically opposed,“ Damen had had no choice in the matter, really. 

Someone should try to resist the force of nature that Laurent was on his milder days. It was not easy and most people didn't even test his patience, so he should be proud of at least trying.

Now, however, he wished he had resisted more, let Laurent go alone or even better went alone himself. This whole debacle could have been avoided.

They sat at a police station. Laurent still seething, Damen trying to argue with the human police officer in a reasonable way. He may as well have been talking to brick wall.

Damen couldn‘t believe what happened mere hours ago.

When they entered the grocery store in Laurent’s neighborhood Damen already felt the looks on him. It was normal now. In the last weeks the media hadn‘t really helped therians and humans to accept each other. Every case where therians were involved was blown out of proportion. Most of the time the perps were big classifications like Damen was. The tattoo on his neck announcing to all the world that he was a lion therian.

Laurent ignored every single stare they got. He took a shopping cart with the ease of someone who wasn‘t bothered by stares from strangers at all.   
Damen knew it had to be a common occurrence where Laurent was concerned. His family consisting of two humans and two therians. He must have grown up with the stares of consternation and hatred. 

If Damen went alone at least half of the people wouldn‘t have paid him any mind. No, what people were shocked about was that a human and therian went grocery shopping together. Mixed relationships were frowned upon. It was preposterous. 

Damen felt how the stress built up. However, Laurent looked up to him, smiled and went to get bread while Damen picked up vegetables and fruits. His partner‘s relaxed attitude helping Damen calm down.

They made it through half of the store and then it happened. Laurent came back to the cart, in his hands Damen’s favorite Gatorade.   
“We can go to the park to play, if you want. I still have Auguste’s drink in my fridge but I thought if we are already here...“ he trailed off. Clearly not knowing what he should think about his gesture of concern. Laurent was still unaccustomed to the fact that he was very mindful of Damen’s preferences. 

Damen couldn’t stop himself from pressing a quick kiss on Laurent’s cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.“  
Laurent opened his mouth to answer. Damen grinned brightly, ready for his teasing insult that would definitively follow. 

However, they were interrupted in their banter when a man bumped into Laurent rather forcefully.  
He glared at them. “How can you be so shameless?“ His question was directed at Laurent. He didn‘t even look at Damen. 

“Pardon?“ Laurent glared at the guy who actually took a step back. But his anger prevailed and he added, “you should know better than to keep the company of such filth.“ He threw a look of disgust in Damen’s general direction. And right then Laurent’s playful mood vanished. 

“You are right. I should know better than to keep the company of such filth. Damen, darling, let’s go. Otherwise I might forget my manners because of so much stupidity.“ He turned around and walked away. Damen smiled to himself and followed him. 

After that they hurried to finish their shopping. Laurent wanted to be stubborn and stay right where he was but Damen could fortunately convince him that he preferred a calm evening with a lot of cuddles over a long-winded argument in a grocery store. 

When they came to the parking lot, Damen‘s arms full of shopping bags, Laurent froze. His jaw was clenched and Damen followed his gaze towards the man who had ambushed them in the store. Now backed up by two other humans. 

“What you do is unnatural,” The only woman in the group said. She glared at Laurent, as if he had personally offended her. “Should our children really grow up with people like you flaunting your unnatural desires so shamelessly out in the open? You are a disgrace to mankind.”

“Ma’am, I hope all children can grow up to accept and respect others, independent of their species. I would wish for a world where therian children and human children receive love and encouragement to see each other as equals.” 

Damen was surprised at how calm Laurent reacted but then he needed to remind himself that Laurent grew up in a field of constant tension. Most likely he had heard his parents answer a lot of these remarks along the way. 

The woman blanched, clearly taken aback by Laurent’s reasoning. Damen smiled at her. “You know, Ma’am, this man is kind and generous, how could I not adore him?” 

One of the men took a step in their direction and immediately Damen was on high alert. He wouldn’t let him touch Laurent. Not in a million years. Slowly he set his bags down.   
“Please, we do not want a conflict. We work for the THIRDS.” He tried to dissolve the tension in the air but the man spat before his feet. “I don’t talk to the likes of you, you animal.”

Damen gritted his teeth. It was not the first time he was being insulted as an animal, but it still caused an ache in his heart.   
Laurent squared his shoulders. “Sir, what you said is extremely disrespectful and I suggest you take some classes on the topic of human-therian relationships. But first of all I have to insist that you apologize to Damianos.”

“Laurent, come on, let’s just go. It’s okay.”  
Laurent sighed. “No, Damen, it’s not okay and you know it. You should not just take it.” Damen smiled at him. “The butter will melt if we stay here any longer.”

The man took two more steps towards them and Laurent set his bags down. 

“He is an abomination of nature. He shouldn’t even exist. This world would be a better place if therians never came into existence. They kill, rape and pose as humans while they do it. People like you who shield and support them are even worse than rapists and murderers. The THIRDS are only here to suppress the human race and provide a platform for reprehensible ideas.”

He took a swing at Laurent, who reacted fast as a snake and twisted his arm on his back. “You don’t deserve my mercy, you scum. But I know that my partner would not like it if I broke your arm right now thus I will refrain from it. But if you ever appear before my eyes again, I won’t hesitate. As for right now, you should go.”

His grip turned painful, Damen could see it from the way Laurent pushed his arm higher up his back. A crowd had gathered now. Two groups had formed, one of mostly therians and one of humans. It didn’t look good. One therian woman came towards them. “Are you two alright?” 

She looked worried and Damen only nodded. He got his badge out of the back of his jeans and showed it to all the people gathered around them. “We work for the THIRDS. Please, you all should go on about your business. We will handle it from here.” 

She nodded, went back, took the hand of her child and made her way over to the entrance of the shop. Many onlookers followed her, but not all of them. 

Damen made a phone call to the human police force first, then to the THIRDS and both agreed to send a patrol over. Laurent had cuffed the man to railing of the three steps down to the parking lot. The man raged on, his face red and his eyes blazing. The other man from the initial group had his fists balled. 

The woman tried to lead him away but he didn’t listen.  
“How can you do that? He did nothing wrong!”  
Laurent threw him a cold glare. “He tried to assault an officer, that’s enough in my opinion.”  
“You are no officer of the law, you are employed by a corrupt organization that wants to promote therians in the government.” 

He bend down, reached in a shopping bag and then he threw an egg at Laurent.   
Damen only saw how something was hauled in his partner’s direction and reacted instantly. He grabbed Laurent’s arm, pulled him at his chest and shielded his blond head with his arm. His vision narrowed down, the adrenaline suddenly exploding, all of his senses went into overdrive. 

He looked down to the man he wanted to protect more than anyone else in the world. “Are you okay?”  
“I am fine. Everything is alright, Damen.” Laurent took one of his hands in his own and kissed his palm. 

They heard an outraged scream. “How can you do something like that to them? They did nothing wrong! What is wrong with you?” 

Damen turned around, still shielding Laurent with his body and saw how a man held the wrist of the thrower in an iron grip. The other man, most likely startled by his own actions tried to rip his wrist out of the grip but the other human didn’t let him go. 

Suddenly the fists flew and then they had one mass brawl on the parking lot. Laurent and Damen tried to keep the other civilians away from it but more and more people were involved. 

The two sides insulted each other as racists, disgusting elitists, and intolerant bigots and animal fuckers, abominations, traitors to human kind and all other kinds of names. 

When someone attacked Laurent from behind, while he helped a man to his feet, who got a bottle of milk thrown at his head, something in Damen snapped.  
He grabbed the attacker before he even made contact, slammed him on the concrete and ground out a, “I’d better stay down if I were you.”

And then the police was there. How they could be faster than the THIRDS was a miracle on his own, but they took one look at the situation, saw how Damen, a big therian, had a human pressed to the ground and snarled in his face and immediately he was surrounded by four officers, guns drawn.

“You, therian, get to the ground, hands on the back of your head.”  
Damen immediately complied. He tried to explain that he was an officer too and that the THIRDS would be here in some minutes, but they didn’t listen. 

This seemed to blow a fuse in Laurent. He stomped up to them, “you absolute incompetent idiots, don’t you hear him? We are THIRDS officers and this assholes thought it would be a good idea to insult and attack my partner and me because we dared to go grocery shopping together. You shouldn’t even think about touching him.”

As the nervous officers didn’t know how to help themselves, they arrested Laurent on the spot. In the end only Damen, Laurent and one other therian guy had to go to the police station.

Laurent took one deep breath and then looked at Damen. “You never again call HPF, you understand me? And if the world has not one single officer available except for HPF, you never call them again.”

Damen nodded dumbly. He was surprised they let Laurent and him stay in the same holding cell. The other therian man only laughed. “You two are so cute. I am surprised someone would want to harm you.”  
Laurent glared at him, “Well, there are enough assholes out there.”

Damen sighed. “He doesn’t mean it,“ he said apologetically to the other man. "Laurent, sweetheart, please, it’s not Jacob’s fault.”  
Laurent took a deep breath. “You are right. I am sorry.” 

Then he stood. “Hey officer, I want to make a call.”  
“And who would you need to call?”  
“My lawyer. The sooner she’s here the sooner you will get answers out of me. Otherwise I won’t talk to you.” 

Laurent was stubborn enough to do exactly that. The officer seemed to trust him to do it too, because not ten minutes later he came back with a phone. Laurent still glared and then called a number. 

“Yes, I’d like to talk to Hennike Leblanc. It’s Laurent.”  
Damen’s eyes went wide. He wasn’t prepared to meet Laurent’s mother for the first time in a police station while he was under arrest for assault. God, what would she think of him? 

Laurent, who knew nothing of Damen’s panicked thoughts, talked again, “I am fine, don’t worry. We are at Marlas’ precinct 12 of HPF. I will explain everything when you get here.”

There was a pause where Hennike obviously asked something.  
“Assault, disturbance of the peace and, in my case, insulting of a HPF officer.”  
Again a short pause.

“I am here with Damianos and a guy named Jacob, also a therian. We informed the THIRDS but they were not as fast as HPF. Most likely because we were at a mostly human part of the town. The HPF doesn’t intend to hand us over to the THIRDS.”

Hennike said something that made Laurent smile. “Thank you, I will see you in fifteen minutes.”  
He gave the phone back and sat down beside Damen.

"No need to panic, Damen.“ He didn‘t even hesitate when he said it. Almost as if he could read Damen’s thoughts. Damen snorted. "Now would be too late anyway, wouldn‘t it?“

"Yes. I just thought I should tell you that she doesn‘t blame you for what happened because she knows bigotry better than anyone else. Just stay put, don‘t freak out and let me handle it.“

Damen stomped down his own panic. It was ridiculous, as if Hennike Leblanc of all people would blame him because he was arrested for being therian. He knew it was stupid and normally he wasn‘t so self-conscious, but this was Laurent‘s mother and he knew how close they were. While Auguste was closer to their father, Laurent was closer to their mother. And Damen didn‘t want to mess this up. 

But that was not important now, right now the most important thing was Laurent‘s emotional turmoil. He watched his partner closely and while the man tried to hide his fury it didn‘t really work. He clenched his jaw just to take a deep breath and let all the tension drain from him. Then he glared at the far wall, never catching Damen‘s eyes. 

Laurent had not many tells, but the little signs of his anger were there and it broke Damen‘s heart. He stood up and went over to him, not caring that Jacob could hear every word or that the police officer observed them like a hawk, he took Laurent‘s hand in his. "Sweetheart, I am okay. We are fine and what happened today won‘t change anything.“

Laurent looked up to him, his eyes hard and unforgiving. "Yes, nothing will change. People are so incredibly stupid I have the feeling we are evolving backwards.“

Damen smiled. He knew his partner was uncomfortable when the talking about emotions started. "Laurent, you know exactly what I mean. Our plan won‘t change except that we may have to order some unhealthy fast food to eat and I meet your mother sooner than expected but I will be by your side and you will be by my side. I am proud to be your partner at work and in our relationship. I will go grocery shopping with you until you hate it. You are more than I could ever imagine and whatever happens out there it won‘t change what we have.“ 

He pressed a kiss to Laurent‘s knuckles. He knew his partner would never admit to the fact that he blamed himself for insisting that Damen came with him. Damen was ashamed for his own cowardice from before. Never would he have imagined how affected Laurent was by the injustice. He wanted to slap some sense into himself. 

With hindsight he should have known that his partner, of all people, had a personal history with this topic and knew what could happen out in the world. But shame and self hate wouldn’t help them through this. Laurent needed someone who reassured him that he was not alone in this and Damen intended to do exactly that.

The blond man looked up, his face calm but his eyes were wide, almost as if he couldn’t believe that Damen meant it. He squeezed his fingers tightly around Damen‘s. 

"Thank you. For telling me.“ He sounded a bit chocked up. Damen smiled, reaching out to brush his fingertips over Laurent’s cheek.   
"You are my partner. I will be by your side until the end.“   
Laurenr’s responding smile to his words was like the sun raising on the horizon. Damen pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

Jacob grinned, "No, seriously, I can‘t see how anyone would want to stand in the way of your happiness.“   
Damen laughed. He liked Jacob and although it was a messed up situation where they got to know each other, he really thought himself lucky that someone like Jacob was arrested with them.

The therian was a cheetah therian and Damen was somewhat surprised that he could be so calm. Most cheetah therians were a bit skittish especially if they were confined and as they sat in the cell even Damen started to feel restless.

"Thank you. For introducing myself properly, I am Damianos Vallis, I am team leader at the THIRDS for Ambush Alpha, I am a lion therian and this is my partner, Laurent Leblanc.“ Damen smiled and shook Jacob’s hand. Laurent sighed beside him.

"As he already informed you, I am Laurent Leblanc, I work at the THIRDS HQ in Marlas.“ He also shook Jacob‘s hand and then resumed to close his eyes and take deep breaths. Damen started talking with Jacob, because apparently he recognized them from the news about the central avenue incident some weeks back. 

He was very interested in their work, asked about what one needed to apply to the THIRDS and if Damen thought he could make it. It was cute and Damen honestly hoped he would start with the application process.

"Your lawyer is here. She is talking to the captain.“ A police officer ripped him out of his conversation with Jacob. Laurent immediately stood. "Yes, because what you did here is against every fucking damn law on equality.“ 

He glared at the man who really took two steps back in surprise. Laurent looked a lot like a vengeful god in that moment. It was damn hot if you asked Damen.


	6. 'Cause nothing's is ever perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers, I really managed to finish the chapter today! Despite my raging headache... (It got better after I drank a very strong espresso xD)   
> That leaves me with the words: Have fun :)

Damen already knew that Hennike Leblanc was an impressive woman. Through the Skype call back at Auguste‘s place he knew she was beautiful, witty and very intelligent. Laurent didn’t only take after her in appearance. 

But when Hennike Leblanc entered like a snow storm, demanded that they were released immediately or she would inform Theomedes Vallis personally that they had taken his son in custody without any reasonable charges at all, even the Skype call couldn’t have prepared him. 

Her hair was arranged in a elegant bun, she wore a dark blue silk blouse, black pants and blue high heels. Her face was gorgeous and she held herself like a queen. Her blue eyes bore into the man like daggers.

The police officer scrambled to his feet and did as he was told. Hennike ushered them outside and threw a glare full of disdain at the police captain who seemed to shrink under her wrath.

“Before you arrest people ever again, consider thinking about your reasons. I won’t stand for such injustice in our legal system. I will sue you to the moon and back if something like that happens ever again, did I make myself clear?” She sounded calm and collected but even then the captain was fast to nod. 

She lead all of them outside and then took a deep breath. “Sorry that you had to experience that.”

Jacob stared at her as if she was made of pure gold. “Thank you very much, Ma’am.” She smiled and shook his hand. “I hope you’ll have a nice day anyway. Can I drop you off somewhere?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I actually still need to get some groceries. Damen, Laurent, it was a pleasure meeting you, even under these circumstances. Ma’am thank you again and have a nice day. There should be more humans like you.” He shook their hands and then turned around and jogged down the street as if nothing had happened and he just made a short detour.

Damen almost laughed. People like him were rare. Then he remembered just who stood before him. “Ma’am, thank you for getting us out of this situation.”

Hennike looked up to him and then smiled, it was the same smile as Laurent’s. It was heart stopping. “You are very welcome, Damen, but please, call me Hennike. We already agreed over Skype that you should drop the formalities.”

“Yes, you are right, Hennike. I was just a bit overwhelmed.” Damen returned her smile and she looked over to her son. “A charming fellow you have there.”

Laurent laughed, “He is, isn’t he?”   
Hennike smoothed down her blouse. “Now, where is your car?”

“Still at the grocery store.” Laurent sighed. He brushed his fingers through his hair. Hennike sighed. “Laurent, sweetie, don’t take it to heart. We have still a lot of work to do before humans and therians can accept each other fully. Come on, boys, I will drive you to the store.”

She walked to an elegant, black Audi. Damen saw Laurent clench his jaw. Damen tucked him into his side. “Your mother is right. Don’t think about it, sweetheart. The people that matter the most are supportive and that is the most important part.” Laurent didn’t say anything, but he relaxed his shoulders in Damen’s hold and then climbed into the car.

Hennike looked through the rearview mirror right at Damen. “Now, Damen, tell me, what do you think about the newest push to abolish the registration offices?”

Damen furrowed his brow in thought. The registration offices were just part of their legal system. Every therian was registered and tattooed there as soon as they reached 13 years of age. Unregistered therians were in no good positions, they couldn’t go to regular doctors, hospitals, the THIRDS or even get employed with a contract. But there were still enough therians who tried to break free from the whole registration process.

“I think it’s an admirable project but I doubt that people are ready for that. As long as therians are seen as a threat being unregistered will be the cause of even more violence.”

Hennike nodded thoughtfully. “What would you suggest otherwise?”  
“Set the age up, it’s barbaric to get children a tattoo. If they still want to mark every single therian out there then at least do it when we are adults. I’d even suggest to get rid of the tattoos. Registration alone is enough, why do we have to be marked like cattle too?” 

He sighed. “It just helps to set us apart, people with prejudice will look at these tattoos and immediately change their behavior. It’s nothing but organized racism.”

Hennike smiled sadly. She sighed. “Yes, I still remember when I had to bring Auguste to the registration office. He tried to keep silent but I could see that he was in so much pain. It broke my heart.”

“Yes, it’s painful and frightening. I don’t understand how the government does require this practice. If we suggested that all human children should get a tattoo too there would be an upheaval.” Damen only shook his head.  
“Not that I would ever suggest that. No child should go through this experience at such a young age. To bear their neck to someone who is going to hurt them in the name of the law. It is a surprise that not all therians have a deep rooted hatred for their own government.“

Hennike drove a lot more moderately than her son and Damen was grateful for it, because when they arrived at the grocery store he was not sick or faint. Hennike got out and hugged her son tightly. “My sweet child, don’t think about it for too long, it will only bring you heart-ache and what you two have is something special. You shouldn’t let other people taint it with their hate.” 

Then she looked at Damen. "Please take good care of him. I will leave the threats and so on to my husband, but I will want you to know that the road you two are going to take is not an easy one and many people will try to stand in your way. Don‘t let them keep you from what you really want.“

"We will make sure of it.“ Damen felt the warmth blossom in his heart. To hear Hennike‘s advice just cemented his intention of never letting Laurent go. He would’t risk what they had with anything. 

Laurent kissed his mother’s hair and then disentangled himself. "Thank you mom, it meant a lot to me.“

"For you I would drop everything without even thinking. Auguste and you are my precious children and if someone tries to mess with you I will crush them.“ She patted Laurent’s cheek and then turned on her 5 inch heels and went to get into her car. Laurent watched her drive away. A forlorn look on his face.

"Come on, sweetheart, let’s go. I think we both just need some time to relax.“  
Laurent nodded. "Especially because Auguste will most likely explode when he hears about what happened today.“ He rubbed one hand over his forehead as if to fight a nearing headache. 

Damen couldn‘t let this go, he tugged Laurent close, tucked his face into his neck and rubbed circles over his back.  
Laurent’s breath left him in a shudder. His breath caressed Damen’s throat and for a second everything was perfect. 

Then he drew back and looked up to Damen who was glad to see a miniscule smile on his full lips.   
"Let’s go back.“ Laurent took his hand and tugged him towards the car.

When the doorbell rang, Damen and Laurent exchanged a look. "Remember, whatever happens, don‘t tell Auguste too much details on what happened or he will be angry the whole evening,“ Laurent warned and Damen nodded. 

Laurent could imagine how it had to be for Auguste to hear that after his parents his baby brother was exposed to the same discrimination and hate.  
He went to open the door. 

Nik and Auguste stood there in an awkward silence. Laurent raised an eyebrow. "Come on in.“ He stepped to the side and whispered to Auguste, "what happened?“

Auguste sighed and shrugged. Laurent looked ad Nik, "Damen is in the kitchen. Just go down the corridor.“ Nik nodded, relieved and then went down the hall.

"Well?“ Laurent crossed his arms and stared his brother down. "What happened?“  
Auguste let his head fall against the wall. "I may have freaked out when I heard Nik in the hallway.“

"And that means?“  
"I was not fully dressed when he entered our floor.“  
"Yes, and? God Auguste, just spit it out.“

"I might have been too excited and opened the door without a shirt on, tripped over my boots and crashed right into him?“ Auguste still had his forehead pressed against the wall, his eyes closed and his lips pressed together. His now longer hair was indeed still damp. Laurent bit his bottom lip.  
"Just do it, tell me I am an idiot. A hopeless disaster.“ 

Laurent stepped closer and drew his brother in a hug. "Don‘t say that. You are charming, funny, witty and very handsome. Nik certainly thought it was adorable.“

"Laurent, I am sorry to break it to you, but between the both of us the only one adorable is you. Nobody called me adorable since I was 10 years old.“

"I think you are. Auguste, your heart is of pure gold, you save snails from the sidewalk for fucks sake. If you aren’t adorable, I don’t know who is. Only because you are a tall, muscled therian who could crush my skull easily doesn’t mean you can’t be adorable.“ Laurent whispered the words and Auguste laughed loudly. "You are the cutest little brother anyone could ever wish for!“ He hugged Laurent so tightly that his feet were dangling above the floor. 

Then he continued to carry him into the kitchen. Laurent laughed and smacked him upside the head. "Stop it you oaf. I can’t believe you still do that!“ 

Nik stared at them with a slack jaw. His hand frozen in midair. Laurent bit the inside of his cheek hard, especially when he saw how Nik’s eyes automatically dropped to Auguste’s flexed biceps. He grinned at his brother and Auguste just groaned, "No!“

"What? I didn’t even do anything. Now let me down. I have to fulfill a promise to Nik.“ Auguste set him down but his expression was wary. "What is that promise?“

"Nothing important. Nik, come on, I should show you my office.“ Laurent pushed the big therian before him towards his office. It would only be a matter of minutes until Damen understood what he was talking about and then Auguste would definitively kill him.

"Is it about what I think it is?“  
"Yes, hurry. Auguste might strangle me if he gets the chance.“  
"Don’t worry I’ll protect you at least until I see the calendar,“ Nik reassured him with a laugh. Laurent closed the office door behind him and locked it.

He rummage through a drawer and then pulled out a briefcase. "This is it.“  
"It’s still sealed.“  
"As I already mentioned, I didn’t look at it. Honestly, I can’t believe that there are good photos inside but go on and open it.“ 

In that moment Laurent could hear an outraged scream from the kitchen, "Laurent! Don’t you dare! You can’t do this to me.“ Auguste’s footsteps thundered up to the door. "Laurent open this damn door immediately.“

"No, I don’t think so.“ Laurent pressed his lips together and made an impatient gesture towards Nik, who finally opened the first page. His jaw dropped open. "For fucks sake,“ he mumbled and then flipped the page. 

"To think you believe these photos are not good.“ He sounded almost hysterical. On page three he froze and shut the calendar very fast. "I don’t think I can do that. Not all at once and not now.“ 

"Nik? I beg you, don’t look.“ Auguste’s voice was pleading and Nik closed his eyes for a second. Laurent laughed, "too late, big brother.“

"He had a beard. Fucking fuck.“ Nik’s words were only whispered. He stared at Laurent. "Why didn’t you warn me?“  
"What should I have said? 'Nik maybe don’t look at the calendar because my brother had a beard and looks very hot?‘ I couldn’t know that would be an issue.“ Laurent raised an eyebrow. 

"You know what? Look at the calendar yourself and tell me if I can get further down the line or if I should definitively stop at March.“ Nik handed Laurent the calendar who sighed and flipped through the pages. 

His eyebrows climbed higher and higher on his forehead. "Well, depends if your curiosity or your sexual frustrations are stronger.“  
Nik groaned. "You are not helping.“ 

"Just look at it. I know you definitively won‘t be able to sleep if you don‘t see all of the photos.“ Laurent smirked and gave the calendar back. Auguste had obviously given up on convincing them to please not look at the photos. 

Nik picked it back up and when he reached the last page he set it down carefully and took one deep breath. "I seriously can‘t decide if that made it better or worse. But in my humble opinion, you should absolutely show this to Damen if he is ever depressed.“

Laurent laughed and then opened the door. Both Auguste and Damen stood in the hall directly before the door. Auguste looked nervous and as if he wished for a hole in the ground to swallow him up immediately while Damen focused on Nik and looked like an eager puppy.  
"Tell me.“

"I think it is save to say that this was one of the hottest things I ever saw. Now please, could let me through? I am in the desperate need of something to drink.“

Damen stepped aside, his gaze jumping between his two best friends back and forth. Auguste tied his hair anew in a messy bun and glared at Laurent. "I hate you.“

"You love me, and you might consider growing your beard back out. Thank me later.“ He patted Auguste’s arm and locked the office behind himself.   
"What why?“ Auguste looked confused and rubbed his fingers over the smooth skin of his jaw. 

"He had a beard?“ Damen studied Auguste closely, as if he tried to imagine him with a beard.  
"Yes, I had one and then decided to shave it when I started at the THIRDS.“ Auguste shrugged. 

Damen laughed in disbelief. "Well, I can assure you, if you had had a beard the first day you walked into HQ, Nik would have lost it.“ 

Auguste tilted his head confused. It looked adorable. Laurent ushered them to the living room while Damen explained how much Nik actually liked bearded blonds to Auguste. Obviously, Nik would never ever admit that he liked blonds almost as much as Damen, he was in eternal self-denial. 

Nik had his back turned towards them and waved a flyer as soon as they entered. "Damen already informed me over our current predicament of no food, so how about we use this opportunity well and order from here?“  
They could all agree that Nik had fine tastes and immediately let him order whatever he thought would be good. 

Auguste plopped down on the big couch beside Nik while they waited and talked. Laurent sat in a comfortable armchair and observed them very closely.

It was, in conclusion, very frustrating. Laurent knew his brother better than anyone and the was Auguste smiled, laughed and joked was the same as always, honest and genuine, but the way he held himself spoke volumes. 

In Laurent’s mind Auguste was this unwavering, self-assured, infallible therian with a heart of gold and not one false bone in his body and while most of that was still true, Laurent could also see how his big, fearless brother held himself tight as a string, scooted closer to Damen every opportunity he had and bit his bottom lip as if to keep from saying too much.

It was so heartbreakingly cute that Laurent wanted to hug him close and never let go. He also knew he had to do something. Auguste was a flirt while Nik wasn’t and maybe that was the whole problem. 

Maybe it was a similar situation like with Lazar and Pallas, where one thought the other wouldn’t want something serious while the other one couldn’t cope with the fact that he was really head over heels for another person. In Auguste’s case there was the additional fact that Nik was his first crush on a male being, regardless of humans or therians.

When the doorbell rang, Auguste was on his feet like hit by lightning, he pushed Laurent out of the way, carefully and laughed when Laurent followed him, cursing. He opened the door and Laurent witnessed another typical Auguste situation. 

He flirted, winked and smiled as if he wanted to get the woman, a cougar therian, into bed. She laughed and joked back, obviously, because Laurent never even once witnessed how someone rejected Auguste’s flirtation.

When they closed the door Laurent sighed long and deep. "Auguste you know I love you but we have to talk.“  
His brother stared at him with wide eyes. "What? Why? What have I done?“ 

Laurent only shook his head. He couldn’t believe how stupid his otherwise so intelligent brother was whenever Nik was involved. „Later.“  
Auguste furrowed his brow but followed him to the table where they all sat down and begang eating. 

As Laurent had expected, Nik kept his distance after the delivery situation. It was ridiculous, Laurent would have to talk to Nik too, if this went on like that. 

Damen pestered Nik the whole evening with questions about the calender. In the end he got the information that it was a black and white photo-shoot, Auguste had a beard, both of them really posed half naked and that Nik would be forever grateful that Laurent showed him. Otherwise Nik kept quiet, so did Auguste, not important how much Damen whined.

Save to say that the evening was very entertaining and Laurent could almost forget what had happened while grocery shopping. That was until Hennike called and asked Laurent if he was alright and if Damen was still with him. Laurent confirmed both things and informed her about their visitors. She was delighted and hung up shortly after that but Auguste was already suspicious. 

"What did she mean when she asked if you were alright after what happened today?“ His eyes were narrowed dangerously. Laurent knew he would not be able to talk himself out of it, if Auguste was in this kind of mood he could be just as stubborn as Laurent and that meant something. It was best to just honestly state the truth.

Laurent took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like the small child again that tried to hide the bruises he got because other children thought his family to be freaks and wanted nothing to do with him, so the logical conclusion was to throw things at him. Auguste looked just the same as back then right now.

"Damen and I went grocery shopping after we got off from work and this was apparently enough for some people to be ticked of, they attacked us, we defended ourselves, HPF came, arrested us and mom had to get us out of jail because they refused to hand us over to the THIRDS."

Auguste's eyes blazed, he stood up, growling low in his throat and hauled Laurent to his feet. He grabbed his jaw with one hand and tilted his head from left to right, clearly looking for injuries. He shoved the arms of his shirt up and patted down over his back. 

"You are alright." It was said through gritted teeth, not really a question and Laurent knew that if he said "no" now, Auguste would storm out on the street and beat the shit out of the guys that dared to hurt his baby brother. Fortunately, that wouldn't be necessary. Laurent nodded. "I am fine. Nothing happened."

Auguste laughed in disbelief. "Nothing happened he says. You were arrested for going grocery shopping. God damn it."

"No, Damen was arrested for going grocery shopping. I was arrested for insulting an HPF officer. Or rather a bunch of them." Laurent shrugged and   
Nik escaped a giggle. He really tried to hold back but the absurdity of the situation got even to Laurent and a smile tugged at his lips. 

"You think this is funny?" Auguste ground out, immediately the both of them shook their head. But then Laurent said, "Well, I have to correct myself. It's, in fact, hilarious because out of all people on this planet they arrested Damen. Because he went grocery shopping with me and if I hadn't called them incompetent idiots with an IQ of a snail, they would have let me go. Although I almost broke a guy's arm."

Now, Nik burst into laughter and Damen joined him. Auguste stared at his brother horrified. "Lauri, what if something happened to you? Gods, you need to be more careful. And you two need to shut up. This not funny. Not even one little bit."

Laurent had known his brother would react emotionally. Auguste had always been overprotective, caused by the fact that he was ten years older and much stronger than Laurent ever was.   
Auguste's overprotectiveness had been further elevated when it became clear that his fellow students didn't accept Laurent as soon as they learned about his family background. And after the whole criminal stalker mess, it was a miracle Auguste let Laurent out of the house. 

It was no surprise to Laurent but to Damen and Nik it definitively was. Auguste was, under normal circumstances, a happy go lucky type of guy. Always smiling, always joking, always a little Mr. Sunshine, with a certain calm that seemed to be indestructible and rooted from the firm belief that everything would turn out for the best.

But now, he was not that person. Now he was an angry tiger therian in defense of his family. He was fierce, ruthless and very angry. Laurent hugged him close.   
"I am fine. Nothing happened," he repeated like a mantra. 

Auguste buried his nose in his hair, still crushing him to his chest. "You should stop insulting HPF officers. That's a disturbing habit." His attempt at a joke was all the reassurance Laurent needed. He laughed. "What is really disturbing is that the biggest idiots of this country seem to be united in HPF and not that I call them out over the fact."

Damen sighed. "Please tell me he doesn't do that every time."  
Auguste laughed and finally let Laurent go, who still kept close to him. 

"You bet. We once went to a concert with my parents, there was a fire, and then HPF tried to get the people to calm down while simultaneously screaming that the firefighters wouldn't be able to make it in time. Laurent marched up to one of them and told him straight to his face, that he would be better off if his tongue was cut out with all the nonsense is was spouting." 

Damen looked mildly horrified, while Nik snickered. He patted Damen's back. "Good luck with this one. At least he is honest with his insults."  
Damen looked as if he couldn't decide if he wanted to groan or kiss Laurent senseless. 

Laurent shrugged. "I don't know what you want from me, everybody tells me I should try to avoid lying but then, when I am honest, I am being told I should shut up. Just… decide what you want."

"Laurent we had this discussion multiple times already, being honest doesn't include telling everybody exactly how stupid they are in your opinion." Auguste sounded exasperated while Nik looked between the brothers back and forth as if it was an especially interesting tennis match.

"That's absolutely debatable. It depends what we define as lying. A highly philosophical question, which we can discuss with pleasure after I go and get the ice cream." He turned around and went to the open kitchen. 

Damen stood and followed him while Auguste flopped down beside Nik. "Are you alright?" Nik's concerned voice reached his ears and he slowed down his motions to get them more time together. He also placed Damen as a temporary shield between them.

"You know, I actually wanted to help you," the therian noted with a grin on his lips. Laurent got the ice cream out of his freezer. "I know and you are- helping I mean. Just stay there and look pretty."  
"I will try my best."

"I don't think you have to do too much to achieve that." Laurent could practically see how this one sentence gave Damen an ego boost. He crossed his arms before his chest and grinned smugly. Laurent rolled his eyes and then kissed his collarbone.

When he looked up again, the expression in Damen’s eyes was soft and very happy. It made Laurent’s heart flutter.


	7. The past is the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers,  
> Here is the next chapter and this time we have Nik's POV. (I loved writing his POV.)  
> I hope you like it and would love to hear your opinion on this chapter.  
> Stay safe and healthy.  
> Lots of love <3

Nik paced in his bedroom. It was a fucking disaster. “Damen, concentration!”

His best friend rolled onto his stomach leisurely and blinked. “What?”  
“Don’t 'what' me! You know exactly what.”  
“Nik, contrary to what you might think, I didn’t master the art of reading minds yet.” 

Nik almost snorted. Damen clearly spent too much time with Laurent. He was starting to be sarcastic. The blond man was a bad influence, a very bad influence. Maybe he should have resisted more, but now it was too late anyway. Damen was heads over heels for Laurent.

“Damen, I think I should stay here.” He had an internal crisis, why was this so difficult to understand? He didn’t want to go to dinner with Auguste’s family of all people. He could name at least 10 reasons why that was a bad idea.

“No. You shouldn’t. What you should do is go get your man. Seriously, it’s as if we traded roles, do I really have to tell you that you are being unreasonable?”

“See? That’s how far we’ve come in our relationship. My life will be ruined and I will grow old and angry because Auguste Leblanc killed every hope for me to ever fall in love like a normal person.” Nik threw his hands up. It didn’t make sense. How could one single person influence his life like that. 

“Now, don’t be so pessimistic.” Damen could say that, because Damen was the optimist between the two of them. He was also the one who got his big heart broken regularly. Nik was not this kind of person. He was the one who mended broken hearts with a strong shoulder to lean on and a high tolerance of alcohol and some first rate hugs. 

“Well, fine. I won’t talk about it anymore.” Nik sighed, he knew Damen wanted him to just jump right into the deep unknown. However, the situation was not that easy, even if it looked like that from the outside.

Auguste was more than just a good looking guy he met at work. Auguste was his best friend, because Damen didn’t count, Damen was his brother. Auguste was one of the most important people in his life. He was funny, intelligent, always so compassionate, strong and amazing all over. He was also a big flirt. And very beautiful. And Nik knew, he wasn’t the only one who noticed.

He knew enough people, or better women, who had had one night of fun in Auguste Leblanc’s bed. Kashel being one of them. He would never fault either of them for falling into bed together, but he couldn’t just ignore it either. 

The reason for that was simple, Nikandros Karas fell in love rarely and when he did he held nothing back. He couldn’t handle breakups like Damen, who was brokenhearted, depressed and moody in private, but with a smile on his face whenever he got out of the house. Damen, who stood tall and proud even when people talked to him about how his ex-fiancée cheated on him with his own brother who then tried to kill him. 

No, he was not as strong as his best friend.

For him, a world broke apart and Nik needed time to realize that he was a whole, living being again. It was a bit like learning to walk or talk again. He wasn’t functional for months after a breakup. He couldn’t get over people. He could just hope to survive the worst of the pain and then push it into a corner of his mind until he could forget.

That was also the reason that, despite being 32 years old, he had had 2 relationships in total. Both long lasting and very serious. He was not proud of the fact that he was like a zombie after a breakup. And he didn’t intend to burden a person like Auguste Leblanc with his own wholehearted love and devotion. 

Auguste had so much love to give and people loved him back, he was very similar to Damen in that aspect. Both of them with a heart of gold and a smile that broke people’s hearts by just looking at it. He didn’t want to tie him down. Nik knew he was possessive. He also knew not everyone could live with that. 

It would do him no good if he acted rashly and involved Auguste without being sure they could handle a relationship together. First and foremost because he couldn‘t loose his best friend and then because he really wanted to avoid going through heartbreak again and then last but not least because he thought Auguste didn’t want a relationship with someone like him. He could live with flirts, maybe, but he was not someone who could accept flings along the way. 

So, he held back and he knew that Damen knew that too but Damen was not really objective because his friendship with the other team leader was deep and true. And Nik knew that Auguste talked with Damen about his relationships, a topic he never discussed with Nik. Maybe it was better if he stopped pestering Damen about the whole thing. But he needed to talk about it but with whom?

He wanted to curse his brain when the next thought occurred to him. No, he refused to admit that he thought about talking to Laurent for even a second. He would NOT talk to Laurent about Auguste. Nope, never, not in a million years. But Laurent would certainly give him better advice than Damen, who was an absolute romantic at heart.

“Just, don’t give up on what you feel, Nik.” Nik startled so hard, he practically jumped into his wardrobe. Damen beside him laughed. “What’s wrong with you? I never saw you like that. Not even back then with Andrej.” 

Nik took a deep breath, Andrej was his first relationship and, like all other things in his life he remembered, Damen was there along for the ride. When Andrej finally announced that he would not be happy in Marlas, or Artes for that matter, and that he would travel to South America with the thought of finding a home there, it had broken Nik’s heart. 

Because he knew he would not follow him. Their relationship ended after six years, Nik was 23 back then and he needed two years until he could even think about dating. 

"Auguste is not Andrej. I am not the same as back then and you are an asshole, man. I could have had an heart attack and then? What would you have done?“

Damen laughed. "You are far too stubborn to get a heart attack. Nik, I know Auguste isn‘t Andrej, and that‘s why I support you even more.“

"Can we please just not talk about it? I am in serious trouble here because I have no idea what to wear. Help me.“   
Damen looked, as always, fabulous in the dark red shirt and black slacks. 

Nik sometimes hated him. How dare him to look that handsome.   
"Wear that and these jeans.“ Damen handed him a dark green button up and black jeans. Classy and not overstated. 

Nik knew better than to question Damen's judgement. "Thank you." He changed into the clothes and turned around for Damen to give his final opinion.

"Very fuckable." 

Nik groaned. Was this guy serious? Why Laurent of all people? Couldn't Damen consider his feelings too? Why couldn't he ever date a normal person? Like… Lykaios or Isander? Why did they have to be sarcastic, insolent and eloquent? Well, not that Laurent's comment was very eloquent.

"Shut up, you dick. I don't even know why I am still talking with you." Nik shut the wardrobe and turned to the living room.

"Because I am amazing and you love me?" Damen looked like a kicked puppy. As always, his gaze did something to Nik. "Yes, I love you, you hopeless idiot. Thanks for the outfit. And please don't let me mess this up."

"Niki, I met Laurent's mother in jail because I was arrested for assault. If my first impression couldn't shock her then nothing what you could do will do the trick." He had a point. 

But Damen was Damen and Nik was Nik. While Damen was loved by everyone without a second thought, Nik was like the mother hen who looked out for all the ducklings and made sure nobody died. People needed time to warm up to him. Not that that was a problem, because Nik didn't need any more people who depended on him to keep them out of trouble.

When the doorbell rang, 2 hours before dinner was planned, Nik was a bit surprised. He went to the door and opened, Damen on his heels. Before the door stood one very upset Laurent Leblanc.

"What…?"  
"This damn stupid idiot. Someone followed us and he turned around to chase them."  
"Who? When? Where?" Nik grabbed Laurent tightly by his arms.  
"Auguste. Just two blocks down from here. I tried to stop him but he was too damn fast. I swear I'll kill him." 

Only now did Nik realize Laurent's distressed state. He had red blotches on his cheeks, his hair was a mess and he talked not like the normal Laurent at all.

"I am going to search for him. Laurent, did you see who followed you?" Nik was already in his boots.   
Laurent shook his head. "I am coming too."  
Nik didn't want to argue now, so he only sighed. 

"Nik, you go first, Laurent and I will inform HQ and then we will follow. Here, take your earpiece with you, if I have to call emergency services you tell me." Damen handed him an earpiece and Nik nodded. He ran out on the street.

"God, please let him be alright. I beg you." Nik ran down the blocks until he could smell Auguste's scent in the air. He ran down the next side street while informing Damen about his whereabouts. He rounded the next corner and then the blood in his veins froze. He would know this blond head everywhere.

"Please, no." It was only a whisper, while he ran to Auguste's side. The other therian lay on the hard concrete, motionless.   
"No, no, no." Nik didn't care that nobody could hear him. He reached out to feel Auguste's pulse.

The relief that flooded him when he felt the flutter under his fingertips made him dizzy.   
"I found him, he is unconscious." 

Damen repeated the words, most likely to Laurent. Nik looked Auguste's body over for injuries but couldn't find anything. Until he looked at his neck more closely. A puncture wound. "Emergency service will be there shortly," Damen informed him.

"Good, I found an injection mark but no other external injuries." Nik felt how his senses narrowed down while he waited for either Auguste to wake up or emergency service to arrive. 

Both things happened almost simultaneously. The sirens got closer when Auguste groaned and tried to sit up.  
"Stay down, Auguste." Nik pressed him back on the floor. Auguste's eyes fluttered open, the pale blue somewhat clouded. "Nik?"

"It's me, just don't move. The paramedics will look you over."  
"What happened? Is Laurent alright?" His words were slurred and Nik felt a bit like crying but he couldn't be emotional now. He needed to stay calm and collected. 

"Laurent is with Damen, they will be here shortly. I don't know what happened. When I arrived you were already unconscious."  
"Good." With that one word, Auguste was out again. 

Fortunately, the paramedics arrived shortly after that. Nik stayed by his side until Laurent arrived, out of breath and out of control. He grabbed Auguste's hand and lost it.

Indeed, Laurent Leblanc sunk to his knees and sobbed like a little child while clinging to the hand of his older brother. Nik would have never thought that he would ever see something like that. 

He stood there, shell shocked and was very glad when Damen came and pulled his partner back to his feet. He slung one arm around Laurent, and pressed him close to his chest and wrapped the other one around Nik's shoulders, who only then realized that he shook like a leaf.

The paramedics explained that they would take Auguste to the hospital but that it wasn't serious. He was only drugged, they explained, and Auguste's therian metabolism was already taking care of it. But they would need to see what the drug was.

Nik felt how his knees gave in and he needed all his self-control that Damen didn't have his arms full of two crying THIRDS agents.  


They decided to drive to the hospital in Damen's car as he was the only one capable of driving at the moment. When they arrived, a nurse brought them to the THIRDS ward. Obviously, Auguste would be there. When they entered his room, Auguste's eyes were open.

Laurent, who had marched in before Damen and Nik, as if he had a plan, froze on the spot when his older brother looked him over. "Lauri?" 

Immediately, he burst into tears again. "I am so glad you are fine." His words were almost unintelligible but still, Auguste smiled.   
"Come here." He drew his brother in a big hug. "I am fine."

"Yes, you are." Laurent buried his face against his brother's shoulder. He sounded almost disbelieving. "Don’t ever do that to me again. You can't just run after some creepy guy who follows us. I swear next time I'll shoot you in your leg."

"Sorry.“ Auguste held him close for a long time until Laurent stopped shaking. When he sat back up, Auguste smiled at him tenderly.  
„Now, go get a coffee, you look like you need it. Take Damen with you." Auguste patted his brother's head and then shooed him out of the room. 

Nik stepped aside, suddenly nervous when Damen didn't shield him anymore.  
Auguste's penetrating gaze was immediately on him, then he closed his eyes and laughed softly. "Fuck. I thought it was just some drug-induced hallucination when I saw you before, but now even I would describe you as fuckable to my mother and I have the better manners than my brother."

Nik gaped. He didn't know what to say.   
"Sorry, there is no filter from my brain to mouth anymore. That can apparently happen when some unknown drug is injected into you." Auguste still had his eyes closed and Nik felt save enough to sit down beside his bedside. 

"That situation is eerily familiar."  
Nik hummed. "I liked it better when our roles were reversed."  
Auguste sighed. "I didn't. You almost died in my arms."

"We swore to never talk about that. Damen would kill me if he knew how close I came to dying in that ambulance." Nik chuckled and Auguste huffed while turning his gaze towards the ceiling. 

Silence spread over the room like a blanket until Auguste sighed. "They don't know what it is. They say it's dissolving too fast to be a therian drug, in 30 minutes I should be drug free. But they will analyze my blood."

"Good." Nik knew what that meant, if the drug was not originally intended for Auguste, then it could only mean one thing. Laurent had been the target. But he said nothing, he knew that Auguste thought the exact same thing.

"Now back to the real issue at hand, you can't come to family dinner dressed like that," Auguste sounded serious, as if the matter of how Nik dressed was of uttermost importance. 

Nik decided to indulge him. "And why not?"  
"Because if you do I won't be able to concentrate."  
"Concentrate on what?"  
"On acting as if I am not affected by you." His admittance sounded so much like a defeat that Nik almost reeled back. 

"What?"  
"Nik, you can't be that dense. You know exactly how much I like you." Auguste turned his head again in Nik's direction. His eyes were soft, unguarded and sincere. Auguste was once again forgetting to protect himself. It was so heart wrenching how little the man cared about himself. 

Nik reached out to brush a strand of hair out of his face.  
"You can't say something like that to me if you don't mean it, Auguste. I am a possessive bastard and I won't be able to let you go if you let me get attached." He only whispered the words but they couldn't be truer even if he had shouted them.

Fortunately, a nurse entered the room, she had been one of Nik's nurses when he had been hospitalized and she seemed to recognize him. 

"Agent Karas, now the other way around. I hope you and Agent Leblanc can enjoy some months without one of you visiting the hospital. This constant stress can't be good for your relationship."

Nik was so surprised, he didn't even correct her. Auguste smiled brightly and responded, "Me too. How am I?"  
"Fine, the drug will be out of your system in approximately half an hour. Actually, I came to inform you that you could leave, if you want to."

Auguste was on his feet immediately.   
"Then I won‘t have to miss family dinner!“ He sounded so happy and excited Nik had not the heart to argue with him that it would be better to stay at home.   
He supported himself on Nik's shoulder but otherwise looked fine. He cracked a joke about weak knees that made the nurse laugh. 

For heaven’s sake, Nikandros felt his blood starting to boil. There, the guy was ambushed, unconscious and drugged and not even two hours later he was flirting as if nothing happened.

Nik gritted his teeth, to keep control, to not give in. He was in charge and he alone, not his felid side that wanted to claim and possess. He felt torn, as if half of him wanted to cling to the rational, logical thoughts that shot through his head while the other half wanted to let go and let instinc rule him. He took a deep breath. 

Auguste watched him. He looked almost pleased. Why?   
Nikandros gritted his teeth even harder. Why the fuck did he look pleased?   
Did the nurse metaphorically drop to her knees before him?   
Nik inhaled sharply. 

He needed to stop. It was not his business with whom Auguste did or did not sleep. He tried to school his facial expression into something unaffected, indifferent. He knew it worked well enough on most people but Auguste knew him better. His smile turned almost knowing and teasing.

"Thank you so much for your help, Beatrice. I am really glad that we saw you today and thank you again for keeping me up to date in the lab work of the drug.“   
"A pleasure, Auguste. But try to stay away from a hospital for sometime. You two could use the time in a more pleasurable way I am sure.“ She grinned and looked at Nik. 

He let a breath escape. "You are right. Auguste, stop flirting, we should go your parents are waiting.“  
The nurse smiled, directed them to the front desk and said her goodbyes.


	8. Could you be the future?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers!  
> Here is the new chapter, again from Nik's perspective :D  
> After that I will go back to Damen's/Laurent's POV.  
> Have fun! Stay safe and healthy <3

Nik texted Damen that they would wait at the car. It was almost funny to see Auguste sway like a drunk cat while he tried to walk independently, if Nik didn’t know the reason for that, he would have laughed loudly. Under the given circumstances however, he went to support Auguste with an arm wrapped around his waist. 

Auguste slumped against him, humming gratefully. Nik tried to ignore the way Auguste felt against him. Strong, powerful and so warm. All this energy bundled up in the body beside him made him dizzy when he only watched, he couldn‘t waste some of his precious self-control on the effort it would take him to forget how it felt pressed against his side.

"You know, I always asked myself how you'd feel pressed against me. How we would fit together.“ Auguste’s drowsy voice against the shell of his ear startled him almost enough to let his grip slip. Nik closed his eyes for a second. 

"You did?“ He knew his voice sounded faint. He felt weak and unsteady, as if someone had put him up on a high rope and told him to balance to the next platform without falling. 

He could see Damen‘s car only a few steps away from them. Auguste hummed again.  
"I did, still do.“ 

Nik felt a chill run down his back, followed by heat that gathered at the base of his spine at Auguste’s careless words.   
"I like it. I like how you feel. I never thought I would, that is, until I met you. You are so much more. More skin, more muscles, more power, God, Nik. You are everything.“

Nikandros couldn’t keep the rumble back entirely. He nuzzled his nose in Auguste’s long, blond hair. It reached his collarbone now, it suited him. Everything suited him. The soft strands smelled like evergreen and clove, somehow christmasy. 

It tickled his nose, brushed against his skin.   
Only this once, just for now, Nik thought while he inhaled Auguste’s scent. He had always loved the way Auguste smelled. It was one of the first things he noticed, after the bloody face, obviously.

Auguste turned his head and looked at him with deep, ocean blue eyes. It was everything Nik could do to hold himself absolutely still. He wanted Auguste so badly for such a long time, he knew, it wouldn‘t take much to push him over the edge of his carefully cultivated self-restraint. 

Oblivious to his inner dilemma, Auguste opened his mouth again. The sun reflected from the windows of Damen‘s car was too bright for Nik‘s comfort. It glinted in Auguste‘s hair, his eyes sparkling. 

Nik imagined how his lips had to feel, how Auguste would kiss. Would he be domineering and forceful in his passion or would he be gentle and mindful or maybe Auguste would even be shy because he wasn’t accustomed to kiss someone of the same height as himself, another man?

Jesus, Nik really wanted to know. He was so enthralled by Auguste‘s lips that he almost missed what came out of his mouth. "I like a bit of possessiveness, Nik. I think I might even like it a lot. You look so hot when you get that jealous look on your face.“

Now he had done it, whatever miniscule rest of self-control Nik had cultivated up to that moment flew out of the metaphorical window. He buried his hand in Auguste‘s hair, the length perfect to grab a good handful, Nik realized, and crushed his lips against the blond man‘s. 

Auguste clung to him, maybe because he wanted to keep Nik close, maybe because his legs were still unstable, most likely because of a combination of these factors. A soft gasp escaping him when Nik pushed him against the side of Damen‘s car.

The kiss was not like Nik had imagined it, because Auguste was none of the things he had theorized about when he kissed him. No, Auguste surrendered to him so sweetly it took Nik’s breath away. Never, not in one hundred million years would Nik have thought that their first kiss would be like this.

Auguste practically melted against him, gave up control completely and didn’t hold anything back. He wasn’t shy in his approach but he wasn’t at all like Nik had heard from all the women that had a night of fun in his bed. 

Kashel had waxed poetics about how Auguste Leblanc had made her knees weak when he kissed her as if he would eat her up alive. Nik had not doubted that it was true. But now he almost couldn‘t believe this was the same man. In his arms, Auguste was pliant, sweet, like an offering and it appealed to every single animalistic instinct in Nik. 

It was a heady feeling. He tightened his arms around the other man. Auguste moaned softly into the kiss. It drove him insane. He didn‘t think he could live without that after experiencing it now. 

No, for Nik there was no going back. It was exhilarating to feel this powerful, fierce man surrender so easily, so completely voluntary. He felt himself stirr in his pants. Fuck.

He had to wrench his mouth away otherwise he would loose his mind right there in the parking lot of a hospital. Auguste stared at him like temptation personified, Nik‘s personal test, and he knew he was going to fail. 

Nik still had one hand buried in his soft hair. Auguste’s pupils were blown, his lips slightly swollen and the flush on his cheeks was the sexiest thing Nik had ever seen. His half hard dick took even more of an interest. He almost groaned.

"See? I knew this was gonna be mind-blowing.“ Auguste sounded breathless, excited and very happy. Nik wanted to keep him happy like this forever. His eyes sparkled and a soft smile spread over his face. He was gorgeous. 

Slowly, Nikandros untangled his fingers from the long hair. He stroked Auguste’s cheekbone with his thumb. "You are so incredibly cute, I can’t believe you exist, sometimes.“ His tone was awed and Auguste had a hard time to process what he had just been told, that much was obvious.

"I am not cute, Nik. Small animals are cute, babies are cute, Lykaios is cute, I am most definitively NOT cute.“ He sounded so amused that Nik wanted to kiss him again. He wanted to do a whole lot of other things too. 

"I have to vehemently disagree. You are very cute. The fact that you think babies are cute is so unbelievably cute on it’s own that I might die on the spot.“ Nik grinned and took a step back before he pressed Auguste back against the car and ravished him.

"Who might die on the spot?“ Damen’s voice cut through the soft, warm bubble they had built around them. Nik looked towards him and laughed. "Me. If Auguste tells me once more that babies are cute.“

"But they are. Especially when they are sleeping. You should have seen Laurent, the cutest of them all!“ Auguste grinned and hugged his brother close, who was surprisingly subdued.

"I suspect you still want to go to family dinner?“ Laurent looked up to Auguste with worry written all over his face. Nik could admit that maybe, Laurent was, once upon a time, a long time ago, and only maybe, a little bit cute. At least, if his expression, right then, was any indication.

"I thought this was obvious. We are here, I am fine, I already texted mom that we would be late because of a minor incident. Everything is set to go.“ Auguste smiled, Nik watched how Laurent clenched his jaw.

"Minor incident my ass. But I am not arguing with you right now. Let’s go.“   
Nik was surprised that Laurent didn’t try to convince Auguste to go back home. But he didn’t want to complicate the situation any further and just got in the car behind Damen.

Auguste slid into the seat beside him. He had a bright grin on his face and leaned his head against the window. Nik couldn’t look away. For fucks sake, it was ridiculous. His eyes were like glued to the blond man by his side. 

He was unsure of what that one kiss meant, unsure of Auguste‘s wishes, unsure of the future and yet, for the first time in months Nik felt completely calm and in sync with his felid side. He had almost forgotten how much he had missed it.

Auguste‘s smile grew while he looked out of the window. Nobody said a word. Laurent most likely still too shocked and in emotional turmoil, Damen clearly concerned for his best friends and boyfriend, Auguste smirking at nothing in particular and Nik absolutely enthralled with the profile of the man he wanted to kiss until his lips fell off.

They arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes late. Nik had a short bout of panic when he thought about the fact that they made Hennike and Aleron Leblanc wait for them, but Auguste’s strong hand on his shoulder calmed him down. 

"I’ll go first.“ He walked into the restaurant as if he owned it. That shouldn’t be as sexy as it was. Nik curled his fingers into tight fists. Fucking fuck. Laurent gestured for them to follow his brother while he took up the rear. 

Hennike and Aleron sat at a table, whispering to each other, both of them a glass of champagne before them, half empty. Aleron leaned in close when they approached them and his wife giggled at something he said.

Nikandros, however, was much too occupied by the fact that they both looked like hollywood stars to appreciate their good mood. What was wrong with this damn family? Did they all have to look like that?

Aleron looked like the older version of Auguste. He was tall, had broad shoulders, and the same blue eyes as his sons. His hair had grey streaks in it and his beard was actually more grey than blond but he looked very handsome. The crow feet around his eyes suggested that he laughed a lot.

Hennike was a lot more delicate than her husband, although she was tall too, for a human. Her eyes were blue too, her hair of a paler blond than Aleron’s. She had the same high cheekbones as Laurent, her lips softening the strong edges. She was unbelievable beautiful and Nik wasn’t surprised that Laurent looked how he looked at all anymore. 

Auguste strode over with long, sure strides. His parents standing up as soon as they saw him.   
"Hello, pea.“ Hennike smiled softly and drew Auguste in a hug. It was almost funny to see how she was completely swallowed up in his arms. Auguste kissed her hair. "Hi mom.“  
Aleron hugged his eldest son too. Laughing into his ear and complimenting him on his new hairstyle. 

"I am sorry we are late. I got hold up and the others were kind enough to wait for me.“   
Nik could see how Laurent pressed his lips together tightly. His brow furrowed, eyes blazing and jaw clenched. Yeah, his teammate was not impressed by Auguste’s lie at all. Hennike‘s gaze flickered to her younger son and she raised an eyebrow.

"Then why does your brother look as if he would like to wring your neck on the spot, Auguste?“ She had the exact same expression on her face as Laurent when he called someone out on their bullshit. Nik was not surprised. Somewhere Laurent had had to learn to glare like that.

Auguste sighed, "fine, I will explain but first let me introduce you. This is Damianos Vallis, my friend and Laurent’s lover, boyfriend, soulmate? Whatever.“

Damen, who had already extended one hand towards the Leblanc parents, gaped at him. He looked so shocked that Nik had to chuckle. Laurent laughed. "I like the last one. No, seriously, Auguste I told you to stop teasing Damen. Mom, Dad that is Damen, my partner and boyfriend.“

He nudged Damen who shook their hands with a still shocked expression on his face. Aleron laughed. "Poor guy. Having to put up with you both. A pleasure meeting you, Damen, I am Aleron, please drop all formalities. I am not a big fan of them.“

Damen nodded. "The pleasure is all mine, Aleron.“  
Then Laurent turned to Nik, who felt dread coil in his gut. "Mom, Dad that is Nikandros Karas, my fuckable teammate whom I mentioned last time when you debated why Auguste didn‘t bring a girlfriend home for over a year.“

Nik rolled his eyes, yeah, he had expected something like that. Auguste, however, groaned and buried his face in his hands. "God, Laurent, seriously?“  
"You tease Damen, I tease Nik. An eye for an eye.“ Laurent shrugged and sat down. 

Nik only shook his head, he patted Auguste’s shoulder once and couldn't resist squeezing the tight muscle there, and then shook Aleron’s and Hennike’s hands. Both insisted on him calling them with their first names and then offered him a seat. 

It was definitively no coincidence that he sat beside Auguste who still looked utterly embarrassed. Hennike leaned back in her chair and fixed her glacier blue ices on her older son. "Now, tell me what happened and I want the truth.“

Auguste grimaced and then delivered a shortened story of what had happened. Minus the suspicion that the whole thing had been aimed at Laurent. Hennike furrowed her brow, watching Auguste sternly.  
"Auguste, I know you have the tendency of underrating your own issues and overrating Laurent’s, but we all love you very much and we want to know when you are in danger or when you need help. Seriously, you can’t keep things like that from us and just shrug them off. You are not indestructible.“

Aleron placed a hand on his wife’s forearm. "She is right, Auguste. Don’t keep us in the dark all the time. You are our precious child and we want to take care of you.“

Auguste visibly swallowed. "I promise, I will tell you next time.“ Nik could see that he was stricken by the words of his parents.   
Laurent immediately came to his rescue. "Good, now that we managed to talk about that issue as well, we can direct our conversation to something more pleasant. We will look into the case as soon as we get back to work. The THIRDS are already working on it.“

Aleron grinned. "Yes, like the fact that you brought your partner here. Damen, I heard you are one of the most experienced agents in the THIRDS?“

"That‘s true. I started training at a very young age with my father and brother both already working there.“ Damen appeared relaxed, self-assured but Nik knew him since they could barley talk. He saw how Damen tapped one finger against his arm rest and how a muscle in his jaw ticked. He was beyond nervous.

"Yes, that makes sense. How is my son holding up?“  
"Great. I am very glad that Laurent is my partner. He is extraordinary.“ Now, Damen beamed, his full sunshine grin was turned on and his gaze tender when he looked over to Laurent, who smiled back.

"Oh, that’s good. It’s important for partners to get along well. On that matter, Auguste, tell Jord that I need him for a pie tasting.“ Aleron looked over to his oldest.

"Sure, dad. He will be delighted.“ Auguste chuckled. Nik, who new Jord pretty well by now, smiled. Auguste’s partner would be over the moon.

"So, back to the topic. What are your intentions towards my youngest son, Damianos?“ Aleron snapped his focus back to Damen, who was caught off guard, tensing slightly. Even Nik, who was not the center of attention almost got whiplash.

"I intend to treat him with all the courtesy he deserves. Whatever I can do to make him happy I‘ll do it. I am serious about him and our relationship. I respect him as my partner at work and in private.“ Damen never had problems admitting to his feelings. He didn’t even look uncomfortable, just a bit nervous. As if he was afraid his answer was not enough.

Nik almost rolled his eyes. There was no need for Damen to be so tense, because even when Aleron stared him down, or rather he tried to stare him down, with his blue eyes, there was a satisfied quirk to his lips. Once again had Damen found the exact right words. It was as if fate wanted Laurent and Damen together. 

It was ridiculous. 

Throughout the dinner, Nik observed the others closely. When dessert was served, Aleron caught his eye and pressed his lips together in thought. He said nothing but Nik knew there was something the older man wanted to tell him.

Auguste laughed beside him about something Laurent had said and immediately Nik‘s focus was drawn to him. He forgot all about Aleron‘s thoughtful expression because Auguste was marvelous whenever he laughed. 

Nikandros couldn’t stop his gaze from trailing over his exposed, unblemished throat when Auguste turned his head to retort something undoubtedly hilarious. 

Nik had realized through the first course that every conversation the Leblanc‘s had between each other was like a verbal sparring match. It was sometimes hard to keep up with them and he needed to pay close attention to know what they were talking about.

One time he had been preoccupied with an unrelated thought and he had needed half of the second course to find back in the flow. They were fast, sharp and unbelievably smart. Nik knew, after dinner, he would be exhausted. 

Now, Auguste seemed to realize that he was being stared at. He turned his head towards Nik and opened his mouth to say something but not a word came out. His eyes met Nik’s and he just stared back. Nikandros didn’t know what his own facial expression betrayed but he knew that his thoughts were not innocent at all.

Auguste’s mouth looked so soft, and now that he knew how he tasted, Nik wanted more. He imagined how he would press his lips against Auguste’s, how he would respond. He had had the man melting in his arms and he wanted that again. 

Only when Damen elbowed Auguste, who startled and turned around, did Nik avert his gaze. Fuck, what was wrong with him? Okay, that was a rhetoric question. He knew what was wrong with him and it had the initials AL, was tall, fit, blond and very handsome, and sat beside him in the damn restaurant with his parents.

Damn it, Nik contemplating the pros and cons of drowning himself in the fish tank behind Aleron and Hennike. Auguste was distracted by Damen and Hennike, who debated something about the registration offices. Aleron leaned closer to him. His eyes were imploring but kind. Nik returned his gaze steadily.

"You like him.“ It was no question it was an observation. Yet, Nik still nodded. "I do. More than I should probably.“  
"You were the agent who caught a bullet for him.“ Again, it was an observation and again, Nik answered. "I did, I‘d do it again.“

Aleron let out a breath. His eyes were wide, almost as if he couldn‘t believe Nik‘s words. But then he pressed his lips together in a tight line. "He was out of his mind with worry when I called back then. Better try to avoid any bullets in the future.“ 

Nik smiled. "I‘ll do my best. I didn‘t want to worry him.“  
"I know, sometimes instinct takes over and then you just react. I think the question what your intentions are towards my eldest is unnecessary in your case. You took a bloody bullet for him. I never imagined that you two were not even touching.“ Aleron laughed and Nik chuckled a little self-deprecating.

"You have no idea.“  
"Care to tell me why that is?“   
Nik saw how Laurent observed him closely, Laurent who noticed everything. Naturally, he would notice his father and Nik talking. 

"I think we tried to stay friends, because we are- really good friends in fact. Neither of us wants to risk that for- you know.“ Nik made an uncommitted hand gesture.   
Aleron raised an eyebrow. "For fucking?“

Clearly Laurent had not inherited everything solely from his mother. Nikandros was very happy that he had nothing in his mouth he could choke on right now, or maybe then he would be relieved of this damned existence on this planet with all members of the Leblanc family trying to drive him insane one way or another.

"Yes.“  
"What about more than only fucking?“ Aleron raised an eyebrow in typical Leblanc manner.  
"Yes. It just- never came up.“ 

"You both are hopeless. I actually thought it would be more difficult to see Laurent in a happy relationship but then you came along and Auguste just lost it. I am still surprised to be honest. Usually he goes after what he wants with a single minded determination.“

Nik knew that. He had lived by Auguste’s side for years now, as one of his best friends, and he didn’t doubt that Auguste knew exactly what he wanted. "Well, I might have hindered that. Auguste would never obtrude on someone.“ 

Aleron sighed. "Please, he is insufferable, you have to do something about that. I can’t bear another evening of watching boxing and him just sighing beside me. It‘s depressing to be honest.“ He looked almost stern and Nik had to suppress a laugh. 

He would have to do something about the current situation it seemed. It couldn’t continue like that forever. He decided to just take the leap and hope for the best.


	9. Don't even ask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers,  
> Sorry for the long break but I have taken a vacation and didn't get to write quite as much as normally.   
> Here is the new chapter. I hope you'll like it.  
> Best wishes and stay safe!

Damen was still a bit shaky after the family dinner with Laurent’s parents. At least Nik was there, too. They sat in Auguste’s flat, drinking a bottle of whiskey and recovering from the day. 

The only person looking relaxed was Laurent. After he had assured himself that Auguste was alright, the tension had left him over the evening and now he was almost pliant, sitting on a cosy armchair and sipping his drink.

Auguste was the same self assured and very charming therian he always was. It was good to see that the incident hadn‘t left him shaken and out of balance. At least Damen thought so. Yet, Auguste's gaze jumped to Laurent regularly as if he was nervous. He sipped his drink and just tried to calm down after everything.

Nik sat on the chair opposite him and for the first time in weeks, he looked genuinely happy. “Are you two okay?“ Damen asked the question without thinking and when Auguste grinned lasciviously, he knew he had his answer.  
“I am more than fine.“ 

Damen grinned. He raised a speculative eyebrow at Nik who only shrugged. “Did you two finally get your act together?“ He certainly hoped that it was the case. Nik shrugged again. As if he wouldn‘t tell Damen later on. They definitively had made some kind of progress and it wasn’t entirely innocent either.

“Damen, come on, I need you to fuck me until I pass out. My brain is still in processing mode and my brother needs time with Nik to sort things out properly.“ Laurent stood up, he spoke as if his words weren‘t terribly inappropriate, and directed a stern gaze towards Nik and Auguste. “And with sorting things out I mean fucking, just if that wasn‘t clear enough.“

Auguste only rolled his eyes and made a dismissing hand gesture. “Get out of here you insufferable brat. I will pick you up tomorrow. Lock the door and stay safe.“

Laurent laughed and dragged Damen out, over the corridor into his own apartment where he proceeded to unbutton his shirt. Damen needed some time to catch up and when he did, he groaned low and deep and wrapped his hands around Laurent‘s wrists.

“Laurent, you need to stop.“  
“Why? I was actually serious about you fucking me until I pass out. If you need something else, I could always suck you off first.“ Laurent looked up to him through his lashes. 

He was so effortlessly gorgeous that Damen struggled for a moment with himself. He groaned again and closed his eyes but he knew better than to let go of Laurent‘s wrists.

“First, we need to talk. I need to know why people are after you. We both know that they didn‘t want to hit Auguste with that drug.“ He focused his gaze back on his partner and Laurent stared at him, his face contemplating.

“Fine. Be difficult if you must.“ Laurent stepped back. His back was ramrod straight and he looked so detached, Damen asked himself if he ever really knew him. It was frightening and suddenly he was not so sure he wanted to know. But he had to.

Laurent looked him straight in the eyes when he finally said it, “I had a stalker. He was one of the criminal masterminds of Arles‘ underworld. I couldn‘t go to the police and nobody outside of my family believed me.“

Damen found it hard to breath. He stared at his partner, his beautiful, sharp, cunning partner. It wasn’t even hard to believe. A man like Laurent could inspire and unhealthy obsession all too easily. 

“At first it was not so bad. I could still live my life. I mean, I just sometimes came home to find a note on my bed, a rose beside my sink, maybe a picture of me pinned to the window frame.“ Laurent still observed him closely and Damen did his best to keep from flinching.

“But then it got worse. Every year was worse and when Auguste went away he grew even bolder. He once kidnapped me to have dinner with him. I was afraid like never before. I couldn’t sleep for weeks after that.“ Laurent licked his lips. He didn’t look afraid right now. He looked almost angry. 

“That‘s the reason I trained vigorously for combat, that’s the reason Auguste is so overprotective and that’s the reason I came to Marlas and started with the THIRDS. I left Arles behind and hoped I could leave the man behind too. I was naive enough to think he would loose interest in me. He has enough other boys as he likes to call them, us.“ He trailed off but Damen knew he wasn’t finished yet.

“I had almost a year away from him but now he found me again and I am pretty sure he is very very angry. Actually, I hoped to get a last good fuck from you before I have to insist on not touching you until we can take him down. What a pity.“ Laurent laughed, it was no happy sound.

“What do you mean?“ Damen croaked. The horror had rendered him immobile. Laurent finally did look away. And for the first time Damen was afraid of getting his heart truly broken by him. 

Laurent took a deep breath, “I won’t risk your safety more than I already have with my selfish wishes. Now that I know that he has his eyes on my again, I can’t risk it to get you in the line of fire. You saw what happened to Auguste and he is my brother. I can’t imagine what he would do to someone like you.“

Damen shook his head. “I won’t let you decide that by yourself. For fucks sake Laurent. You can’t just let him rule your life. He is a criminal and we catch criminals like him. That’s our job. We don’t bow down to their wishes.“ He felt the anger well up inside him.

“I told your father everything when he hired me. He assured me we would get him. Seems to run in the family.“ Laurent‘s lips quirked into something resembling a smile. He looked so heart-achingly beautiful that Damen couldn‘t help himself when he crushed him against his chest.

“We will catch him. I will not sit at the side line.“  
“I know.“

“Did he ever touch you?“ Damen suddenly needed to know. Laurent was silent for a long time. Too long. Damen grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. “Did he?“

Laurent gritted his teeth. His jaw was tense under Damen‘s fingers. “Yes.“ 

The one word caused a vicious fury in Damen to rise, he didn‘t know he was capable of. His vision was tainted red and he felt his fangs elongate. “What did he do?“ The words were contorted by his lengthening teeth. He felt the pricks of his claws through the skin of his fingers.

Laurent‘s eyes were surprised but not afraid. “Damen, calm down. You need to breath.“ He sounded so fucking calm it made Damen almost angrier. 

This was not how it was supposed to be. He almost wished he had never asked. His partner shouldn‘t look so calm right now. However, he needed to know and Laurent wouldn‘t tell him if he looked like he would shift any moment.

Damen took a deep breath and then another one. He breathed until he was sure he had a tight grip on his felid half. Then he nodded at his partner. They still stood in the corridor it was surreal.

“He didn‘t bodily force me. There was this boy, sixteen maybe and it was either him or me. He was a child and I couldn‘t let him get hurt. I struck a deal. I would suck him off, fully clothed, if I could go, take the boy with me and he would promise to never lay a finger on him. It was the most disgusting thing I ever had to do and I needed years of therapy until I could look at a cock again without the urge to throw up.“

Damen opened his mouth but no words came out. He was cold. He was so cold inside he didn’t even know what he felt. Laurent sighed. “You can go. I don’t expect you to still want me after that. I just... you should know that whatever we did never sparked even the hint of a bad memory for me. With you- with you, Damianos, it was always so different.“

He smiled and it was a heartbreaking thing to see. He looked so resigned, as if he really expected Damen to walk out on him. It was ridiculous, as if Damen could ever let him go. A soaring heat threatened to overcome the cold. He wasn‘t sure what was worse. 

“Do you still want me? Do you still want me to fuck you?“ He asked, low and dangerous.

The feelings in his heart were ugly. He realized that he really was a beast. He was an animal and Laurent would, depending on his answer, truly see him for who he was in a few precious moments.

Laurent snorted. Not knowing how close Damen was to snapping. “The answer to that should be obvious, Damen. I always want you. I want everything with you.“

Damen slammed him against the wall in a heartbeat. He kissed him as if his life depended on it. It was vicious, brutal and raw. Teeth were involved and his grip in Laurent’s hair most certainly hurt, but the blond man didn’t complain. No, he just gave in.

“You are mine and I am yours and nobody can change that. Whatever you might think you are doing here, I won’t let you decide on your own if we should stop seeing each other and I won’t let anyone take you from me.“ Damen bit his jaw and let his lips travel lower until he could suck a bruise in the pale flesh of Laurent‘s neck.

He ripped the buttons clean off and shoved the, undoubtedly expensive, shirt from Laurent‘s shoulders. He stripped him right there and then lifted him up without a moment‘s hesitation. Laurent‘s pale, soft skin felt heavenly under his hands, against his still clothed body.

“You are a savage,“ Laurent gasped, “I can‘t believe you still want me.“ Damen would have almost laughed, if he weren‘t so desperate to get Laurent into bed. He took the stairs to the second floor of the flat two at a time. Laurent‘s powerful thighs wrapped around his waist. 

“I can’t believe you thought for even a second I wouldn’t want you anymore.“ Damen crashed them against the closed bedroom door, careful to take the burnt of their combined weight. Laurent groaned and finally reacted just as savagely.

He yanked Damen’s head back and kissed him. He forced his tongue inside Damen’s mouth, battled him for the upper hand and only stopped when both of them gasped for air. “You really are a strange man, Damianos.“

“Thank you.” He opened the door and stumbled inside, dropping Laurent onto the mattress and following him suit. Laurent smiled up at him and when Damen’s breath caught in his lungs, he flipped them over so that he sat on Damen’s stomach. 

He was beautiful. Naked, strong and confident. Damen had a hard time processing that this man really wanted him. Laurent kissed his jaw, nipping and biting along the hard line. “You please me immensely, Damen.”

The hot rush these words caused surprised Damen. He moaned and arched up underneath Laurent, who sucked at his pulse point. “Do you like that? To hear how much you please me?” Laurent’s voice sounded like velvet. 

Damen had to gulp air back into his lungs before he could answer. “Yes,” he croaked. Fuck. He never would have suspected how HOT this made him. Laurent kneeling over him and talking to him like that- praising him even. 

“Good. Do you think you can stay there?”  
Damen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the sound was harsh and he was surprised how worked up he already was. His cock strained against the material of his trousers and he felt goosebumps break out all over his skin.

“I think so.”   
“Very good.” Laurent kissed down his throat. The touch of his lips nothing more than a fluttering sensation. Almost like the wings of a butterfly. Then he sunk his teeth in Damen’s collarbone. He gasped again, biting his own bottom lip and clutching the sheets tightly.

Laurent opened his dress shirt and then coaxed him to sit up to take it off as well as the undershirt. Then he pushed Damen back down. His eyes were intent and piercing. “Wrap your hands around the headboard, darling.”

The pet name and Laurent’s soft order had Damen groaning and following the directions. Gods, he was never before as hot and bothered as he was right now. It nearly killed him to hold still, but that was what Laurent wanted and Damen would do whatever Laurent wanted no questions asked.

“You are doing great, Damen. Perfect.” Laurent looked so satisfied, his hair glowing golden in the light filtering in through the windows, his eyes sparkling like the sea and Damen would have done anything Laurent wanted in that moment.

Laurent moved down his upper body. Caressing, kissing and licking. Every place he touched lit up like a flame and Damen needed all his remaining brain power to keep his finger clenched around the headboard.

When the blond head finally nuzzled against the prominent bulge in his pants, Damen almost lost it. He moaned deep down in his throat, it was a filthy sound and Laurent rumbled contently. “Perfect. You look perfect like that, Damen. So good for me.”

“Yes.” It was hard to speak, but he needed Laurent to know that he was on board, so much on board in fact, that he didn’t want to think about Laurent ever stopping. Although he still had his trousers on, he was so turned on, he suspected that there was no blood left to supply his brain with enough oxygen.

Laurent rubbed his cheek against his still very clothed cock. The visual almost too much for him to process. “Please,” he pleaded. His voice sounded wrecked, desperate even. He didn’t care. He wanted Laurent badly whichever way he could have him.

His partner smiled. “I will give you what you need, Damen. Don’t fret. I will give you everything.” Then he opened the button and zipper and pulled the trousers and the boxer-shorts down. Damen breathed a sigh of relief that the pressure on his cock was finally gone. 

It didn’t last very long, because Laurent watched him closely. And the intense gaze in his eyes made Damen want to submit to every wish his partner had.

“You are perfect. Unbelievably beautiful, Damianos. All this power contained in a very handsome package.” Laurent leaned over him, kissing him again. It left Damen breathless and wanting more. 

“I will give you anything you desire. Will you let me?”  
“Yes. Gods, Laurent, please.”   
His partner smiled once again and then liked a long line up the underside of his cock.


	10. Come on and set my body free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers,   
> I am so sorry it took so long for this chapter (and it's a short one (I'm doubly sorry)) but somehow I just needed a break from the story for a moment. (Also, this chapter is mostly just smut... don't judge me lol xD, just be warned)   
> Now I'm back and hope I can post regularly again. Although the breaks between chapters might be longer than before as I have a lot to do with work and studying in parallel.   
> Best wishes and stay healthy.

The next morning Damen watched how Laurent woke up and his heart swelled with tenderness and love when his partner scrunched up his nose, buried his face in Damen’s shoulder and burrowed closer with a huff.

He settled down again and Damen caressed his back in light, tender touches. He couldn’t imagine ever letting him go. Not because Laurent was exactly his type look-wise, but because Laurent was precious and good and Damen was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

He felt his felid side pushing, overwhelmed by his very human feelings and only knowing that they both WANTED the man beside Damen in the bed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and forced his self-control to take over. It wouldn’t do to give in now. He knew what his felid wanted and he couldn’t let it happen. It was hard, especially because his human side wanted it too.   
He continued to breath and caress Laurent’s back. He concentrated on the feeling of his naked skin, on the hard ridges of muscle pressed against him and it was so much like a dream that he almost thought he was still sleeping.

However, when Laurent pressed even closer to him, Damen was suddenly very very awake. His partner‘s body was one hard line against his own. He was warm and when Damen felt Laurent’s erection against his hip, he had to bite his lip to keep from moaning. He turned his head and buried his nose in the blond hair.

Gods, how he wanted. He kept himself still as his partner dragged his nose along his throat. 

“Morning, darling. How are you?“ Laurent’s voice was raspy, still sleep-laden and it went straight to Damen’s cock.  
“Good morning. I am great. How are you?“ Damen knew he sounded nervous. Maybe because he was. They didn’t need to go to the office for some more hours and he had thought about this thing for a long time and he knew this was the perfect opportunity for him to discuss it with Laurent.

Laurent who pulled away from him, which caused a whine on Damen’s part, in order to look at him. “Are you sure? You sound... almost nervous. Is something the matter?“  
“I... actually... I have something to-,“ Damen hated himself for stuttering especially when Laurent drew back even more and sat up with a concerned look on his face.

“Damen, if you have changed your mind, I understand. I wouldn‘t fault you for being appalled by what you know. A good night‘s sleep lets all of us seeing things clearer.“ Laurent said without a single emotion displayed on his face. He dragged a hand through his hair. 

Damen felt his mouth dry out. This man would either be his salvation or his downfall. “I want you to fuck me. As in, you top.“ The words left him in a rush and he felt the weight on his shoulders lift. This was a relief. He had wanted to propose this for weeks but there never was the chance and Damen went almost crazy from the idea alone.

Laurent seemed so taken aback it was comical. Damen felt his lips twitch when his partner drew his eyebrow together. “Let me get this in order. You want me to fuck you?“

“Yes.“

“As in my cock in your ass?“ Laurent‘s face was carefully blank and Damen felt the nervousness rise again.

“Yes? Obviously, you don‘t have to... I mean I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about it and would absolutely want you to -.“ He was interrupted by Laurent who put one finger on his lips.

“Be still my heart.“ He smirked and Damen felt how all the tension left his body. He practically melted into the bed.

“So, you thought about it?“ Laurent drawled. Something in his voice caused shudders to run down Damen’s spine. He opened his mouth to say something but felt how his voice failed him. He could only nod. Laurent hummed thoughtfully.

“What exactly did you think about then?“ He smiled, it was teasing and challenging and so very Laurent that Damen felt the urge to kiss him until neither of them had any air left in their lungs to talk.

“I-,“ he trailed off. For fucks sake, these northerners and their urge to discuss everything so extensively. “I thought about how you would finger me open. Gods, your hands are so sexy and I couldn’t stop thinking about it when you hold your gun in training or when you typed in our report. You make me horny with a snap of your fingers and that literally.“  
Damen trailed off. He knew a blush had crept up his neck to his cheeks and he took a deep steading breath. This was Laurent, he had nothing to be ashamed of, he reminded himself. His partner stared at him and then a slow, predatory smile spread over his full lips.

“Interesting. Something else? Tell me, Damianos.“ Laurent didn‘t touch him but the tone of his voice was enough for Damen to shudder. Goosebumps broke out over his skin. The anticipation had him strung tightly and he waited for the moment he would snap.

But Laurent’s gaze had him pinned on the spot. Who was the predator between them now? What were they doing here? He was seriously questioning his own sanity as it was. However, he had never before trusted someone enough to indulge in such games. Maybe he just never had the opportunity to discover this part of himself?

“Yes.”

Laurent smiled, his eyes still wholly focussed on Damen. “Go on, tell me. Nothing to be afraid or ashamed of, Damianos. Whatever you want, I will try my best to give it to you.”  
The words alone made Damen bite his lip. He never knew how much he would enjoy being in this position. He also realized that it took much more bravery than he had anticipated to be so vulnerable. His felid didn’t like it but his human side liked it all the more. It was confusing and he needed a second to gather his thoughts.

“I imagined the way you would take me, slow and teasing until I couldn’t take it anymore. I thought about how you would make me beg.” He felt himself flush even more. He was sure his cheeks had to be burning and he suddenly realized he couldn’t look into Laurent’s eyes any longer. He stared at the bookshelf, as if that action could take his words back. 

“Look at me, darling.” Laurent’s voice was soft and yet insistent. He took one deep breath. It made no sense for him to be that embarrassed by his own wants. He never was before. Why now? Why with Laurent? And why with something he had wanted for a long time?

He knew the answer, deep down and a voice whispered to him ‘because it’s not something you are supposed to want’. He was an apex predator, he was a Therian and he was the pride of the THIRDS. He was the epitome of masculinity, wasn’t he? His father certainly would never want what he wanted, his brother neither. HE shouldn’t want what he wanted. But that didn’t change the fact that he did. So much.

Slowly he turned his head back to look in Laurent’s face. His partner observed him for a long moment, before he continued, “you have nothing to be ashamed of, Damen. Nothing about what you want is wrong or weak. And even if it was an indication of weakness, everybody is allowed to be weak from time to time. You hear me?”  
Damen gulped down a lungful of air. He hadn’t realized that he had held his breath. Hesitantly, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Good. Just know that I will never, ever, judge you for something you want. You can ask me for anything. It might be that I’m unable to give it to you but I will never think less of you for it. You understand me?”

Damen nodded again. Suddenly feeling utterly drained. Laurent brushed his fingers through his curls. Slow and steady and Damen felt his eyelids drop. He never thought this conversation would take this turn. Actually, he had assumed that by this point, they would already be fucking.

“I need to know, have you ever bottomed before?” Laurent’s question was soft, almost a whisper.

“No. Never.” Damen still had his eyes closed. He couldn’t see Laurent’s face, but he could feel his fingers in his hair. Still stroking so tenderly and massaging his scalp. He had wanted to bottom before but never before had he found a man he wanted to top for him. He could never trust them enough. Not with this.   
But Laurent, well, Laurent he trusted with his life. 

“Well then.” Laurent finally said and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead. “Thank you for your honesty.”

Damen smiled. He was safe. Laurent caught him and he would catch him again should he ever fall. The burning question wasn’t answered yet and he needed to get his answer.“And will you do it?” He opened his eyes again, searching Laurent’s face.

“I would do almost everything for you, Damen. And this request of yours is no hardship in any way. Of course I will do it. Just not today. Let me plan it. We will do it next Wednesday, on our day off. What do you think?” Laurent smiled and continued to stroke his hair.

Damen felt himself nod with an answering smile on his face. “Yes. Let’s do that.”

He pulled Laurent closer and kissed him thoroughly. Gods, he was crazy for this man and there was no going back for him. He couldn’t imagine a life without Laurent in it anymore.   
The thought should scare him. But to his own surprise it just excited him. Apparently, Laurent really defied all the rules he had thought existed before. That was just as well. He had never given much thoughts about rules. 

He buried his fingers in the soft strands of blond hair while he kissed Laurent with all he got. His partner smiled into the kiss and then opened his mouth to lure Damen’s tongue in his mouth. He licked over the plush bottom lip of his partner, dipped in with just the tip of his tongue. 

He kept it slow and languid. It was perfect. Their lips moved against each other slowly, sensually. It was one of the hottest kisses Damen ever shared with someone. He felt himself grow hard, slowly but surely. One of his hands wandered from Laurent’s neck down his back. This toned, muscled back, he felt all the strong planes shift under the skin. It felt incredible.

He pulled Laurent closer with one hand on the small of his back until he hovered over him. One knee between Damen’s legs, his hands pressed into the mattress on either side of Damen’s head. Their kiss still unhurried, although Damen could now feel Laurent’s erection against his thigh. 

“What are your thoughts on frotting together like horny teenagers?”, he whispered against Laurent’s lips, who chuckled before deepening the kiss again.  
“With you? I am absolutely up for it,” he grinned finally while grinding his pelvis against Damen’s. It felt heavenly and honestly, Damen enjoyed the opportunity to feel Laurent’s penis against his own. 

He let his hand slip down lower, until he could grab one of his partner’s asscheeks and draw him closer still. His mouth found Laurent’s pulse point and he couldn’t hold himself back from biting the soft flesh softly. He didn’t want to hurt him, but he wanted to leave a mark.

It was reckless and stupid and he knew Laurent would roll his eyes at him later on when he had to wear the turtleneck shirt of their uniform instead of the lighter t-shirt under his uniform jacket, but he couldn’t really control the urge right now.

He nibbled the pale flesh, felt Laurent’s groan more than he heard it. He licked over the abused skin and then started to suck. He could feel his partner’s pulse speed up under his lips. He tried to think back if he ever felt like this from the simple act of frotting against another warm body. But before he could come to a conclusion, he was already distracted.

“Damen,” Laurent gasped, the grinding of their hips dirty and slow still. He didn’t answer him verbally, but his teeth found the already bruised spot again and Laurent honest to god whimpered. It was the hottest sound Damen ever heard. 

He felt his hips buck up, throwing off their rhythm before Laurent pressed down against him again, faster this time around. He couldn’t hold back the moan that spilled over his lips then. This was just so damn hot, he never thought it could be this hot ever. He threw his head back against the pillow, forgetting his mission of mauling Laurent’s neck. 

Laurent’s teeth found his jaw, then his throat, his collarbone, where he stayed. Laurent dragged his lips along the prominent ridge and Damen stilled under him. His hand an Laurent’s ass tightened. He urged Laurent to pick up the pace, surprised by the feeling of his impending orgasm at the edge of his mind.

“Laurent-“ He tried to get enough air into his lungs to say what he wanted to say. “I think- close- fuck- I’m-“ Speech was almost impossible. “I’m so close”, he gasped out and stared in Laurent’s eyes. They were so beautiful and deep like the sea. He still couldn’t pinpoint every single shade of blue in them. 

The face of his partner was flushed a soft pink, sweat had gathered on his brow and a look of utter concentration had him draw his eyebrows together. “Me too. Fuck, Damen, me too.”

His voice was husky and Damen felt himself buck up, before the orgasm crashed over him. Laurent’s name slipped over his lips like a prayer and he felt his partner grind down once again before he too spilled while he buried his face against Damen’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have questions, just find me on tumblr (dreamdropxoxo) or drop them in a comment. <3


	11. Till it's over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers,  
> Sorry it took so long, but here is the next chapter and I'm already working on the new one :)   
> Have fun and let me know what you think!  
> <3

Laurent had informed Theomedes first thing after their arrival at HQ about the incident with the Regent and while Damen’s father was certainly shocked, he was nobody to idly sit by and watch chaos break out around him. He sprang into action with a single minded determination.

“I looked over his records personally after we hired Laurent here. I was sure he would come for you sooner rather than later. He’s obsessed with you, isn’t he?” He put one hand on Laurent’s shoulder and then looked over to Damen. “You need to keep your partner safe, son, do you understand? Don’t let him out of your sight.”

“I don’t intend to. Tell him that he needs to let me help.” Damen wasn’t naïve enough to think that Laurent wouldn’t try to talk him out of it again. He was stubborn like that.

Theomedes laughed, loud and hearty. “I’m sure you’re capable enough of keeping your partner safe, Damianos. Don’t let him convince you from the opposite.” Laurent chuckled, low and throaty, “I think your son is stubborn enough to chain me to him, Lieutenant.”

“Nothing less I expect from him. Thank you for informing me of the changes. I will alert the higher-ups and start to work on counter measurements. We have to bring this bastard in. I can’t believe they let him go unpunished for so long.” With that they were clearly dismissed.

Damen pushed Laurent towards the elevators.

“What are we doing?” Laurent tilted his head up to watch Damen’s face. This was rather disconcerting, especially when he saw Damen’s broad grin. “I’m going to keep your mind off of this psycho.”

“And how are you planning on doing that?”

“You’re going to train until you can’t get up anymore. As easy as that.” Damen’s grin got even broader and Laurent groaned. He would suffer, he knew it. “Why? I am the tech nerd. I like sitting behind my computer, Damianos. Just- let me go? I can occupy myself perfectly well in our office?”

“You heard my father. I can’t let you out of my sight and I have to get my full strength back if I have to protect you from maniacal killers who have an obsession with you in the near future.”

Laurent sighed. Resistance was futile. “It’s only one of them. Don’t act as if I attract them like honey does attract flies.”

“Your words not mine. Now, come on partner, there is no sense in trying to avoid the inevitable.” Damen pushed him towards the changing rooms as the elevator doors slid open. Laurent sighed again, heartfelt. “Fine. I give up. What are we training today?”

“First we have to visit the fitness center and then we can go jogging, if you like.” Damen was so overly enthusiastic, Laurent knew he would soon feel motivated too. It was hard to stay firm if Damianos Vallis was determined to sway your mood.

Over the next days, Damen dragged him to the training hall all the time. Sometimes the rest of the team joined them, sometimes other agents did. Overall, it was rather relaxing, at least in Laurent’s opinion. He practically lived at HQ, so there was no incident with the Regent and that was calming in and on itself. He only left for dispatches or the weekly family dinner.

Auguste approved wholeheartedly and advised Laurent to keep to HQ for as long as it would work to keep the Regent away from him. He also promised to keep himself and their parents save. Theomedes sent agents to keep an eye on Hennike and Aleron, but Laurent knew that the Regent had no interest in his parents. He would get the attention with something else. He wouldn’t just do something as coarsely as threatening Laurent’s parents.

He was just glad that Damen stayed right by his side. Because he knew, while the Regent wouldn’t hurt his parents or brother permanently, he was dangerous and very possessive. Damen monopolizing his attention would anger the man more than anything. He wouldn’t hesitate to remove the therian from the equation.

Monday evening, Laurent turned in Damen’s arms in their sleeping bay. He had snuck inside only half an hour ago. Something made him jittery, it felt a bit like a storm brewed at the horizon. Crime had gone up over the last few days. Only minor things, most of them handled by HPF, no therians involved. Still, something didn’t sit right with Laurent and he was worried.

“I will, I promise. You won’t be rid of me so easily, Laurent.” Damen stuck his nose into his hair and inhaled deeply. A low rumbling sound building in his chest as he dragged lazy circles over Laurent’s back.

Despite all these reassurances, Laurent found sleep only fitfully. He felt as if he waited for the other shoe to drop. So, when finally something happened, he was relieved for all of a split second until it registered with him.

After one especially intense training session on Tuesday, Damen changed into his spare uniform and tried to wipe the silly grin from his face. Laurent only shook his head. “You know, you can’t fool anyone.“ There were circles under his eyes. Damen knew his partner couldn’t sleep anymore without waking up from nightmares.

“Why should I want to fool anyone? I am just a happy person, Laurent.“ Damen beamed, he tried for normalcy. Laurent chuckled. As soon as they closed the door of their office behind them, Damen kissed Laurent passionately. “I love it when you knock me on my ass.“

Laurent laughed. “I thought there had to be something wrong. You were very distracted.“

Damen groaned and sat behind his desk before he fucked Laurent right there. Well, that was worth a thought. He mused if Laurent would think it to be inappropriate if he would fuck him on their desks right now or if he would be on board with it.

Damen knew his thoughts went into a dangerous direction. He had to stop thinking about Laurent otherwise all his blood would desert his brain and flow southwards and that wasn’t what he needed now. As a distraction, he opened THEMIS and started working at his reports. Laurent kept quiet. Most likely suspecting what his partner had been thinking.

When their shared tea/coffee-break came, they went down to the cafeteria.

“Damen, how are you?“

Like every morning Damen was greeted by multiple other agents from unit Alpha. Laurent chuckled, shook his head and prepared their beverages while ignoring every person beside his teammates. Damen smiled at Kallias, one of Auguste’s team members, who had asked him. “I am fine, more than fine actually. How are you?“

Kallias chatted with him about the newest gossip. Like Agent Fontaine who apparently had an affair with Agent Gylonis. Damen laughed when Erasmus came over and hit his teammate over the head. With a sweet smile he said, “didn‘t we agree that gossip doesn‘t help them?“

“Yeah, yeah. I am sorry.“ Kallias looked contrite and Damen only laughed. “I can keep my mouth shut. Whatever is going on with them is not my business.“

Laurent came over and handed him his coffee. “Thank you, Laurent.“ Damen studied how his partner took a sip of his tea. Laurent smiled at him and then, with a quick hello and goodbye for Erasmus and Kallias, went over to the table where Kashel and Pallas already sat.

“I can understand why the whole of unit Alpha is jealous of you, Damen.“ Kallias watched Laurent sit down and then redirected his gaze to Damen.

“What do you mean?“

“Don‘t tell me you don‘t know. Everybody is envious of you. They all can‘t really comprehend how Laurent is such a cold and indifferent person except for you.“

“They should stop just looking at his ass and redirect their eyes up to his face, maybe then he would accept them more readily.“ Damen shrugged. He really had no pity left for the agents who talked behind Laurent‘s back about how hard they would fuck him if they could.

Kallias laughed. “You definitively have a point there. Did Torveld already ask him out?“

“What? No. Why should he?“

“Oh he did ask Auguste if Laurent was seeing someone, I assumed he asked because he wanted to ask him out.“

Damen felt how his felid half reared its‘ head. His lion not happy at all with the competition. “When was that?“

“This morning. You are right. I might be a bit too early. He didn‘t have the opportunity to see Laurent yet, did he?“ Kallias grinned, unaware of how much his words affected Damen. The lion therian gritted his teeth. Never before did he hate the fact that Torveld had taken a liking to Laurent quite this much. His gaze drifted to his partner involuntarily. Laurent looked up from his conversation with Kashel, as if he could feel Damen watching him. A smile spread on his full lips. Kallias had followed his gaze and now nudged him. “Go on, I can absolutely understand if you would prefer the company of a beauty like Laurent Leblanc over mine. Most of all if he smiles like that. Did someone ever tell him that his smile lets others hear an angel choir?“

Damen flipped him off but went to his team nonetheless.

“Good morning, Damen.“ Pallas grinned at him. “Kashel wants to convince Laurent to go to the yearly fall ball with her.“

“And? Did he agree yet?“ Damen thought back to his last autumn ball. He went there with Jokaste. She had sparkled like a diamond and everybody had been entranced by her, including him. One month later she had betrayed him and everything was over. It was nothing but a nice illusion.

“No. He tries to tell her that he won‘t be going.“

“And why doesn‘t he want to go?“ Damen was curious. Laurent had no reason to decline.

“Because apparently, and I quote, he does wait for one particular person to ask him to go.Otherwise he doesn’t have any interest in events like that and wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like the autumn ball. I think we both know who he is referring to.“ Pallas smirked, obviously happy with himself and the world.

“We do? I have no idea.“ Damen smiled. “I heard Torveld wants to ask him out.“

Pallas gaped. “Wait. What? Seriously?“

“Yes.“ Damen still smiled but he could feel how his jaw tightened. He didn‘t like it even one bit. He felt the jealousy burn in his stomach.

“You know I am not interested in Torveld.“ Laurent‘s voice was like a balm to his restlessness. Damen‘s eyes met his and, like always, he almost drowned in them.

“I know.“ His voice was raspy. Kashel and Pallas watched them intensely.

“So you to finally got your shit together?“ Kashel asked nonchalantly.

“We did, but we don’t announce it to the world.“ Laurent threw her a pointed look and Kashel shrieked and hugged Damen. “Really?“

“Yes, really.“ Damen smiled and didn’t mind her shrieking in his ear in the least.

“I am so happy for you two. All the unresolved sexual tension made me want to punch you two in the face.“

“Thank you. I’m glad you didn’t punch us.“ Damen grinned and patted Kashel’s shoulder.

“Tell me everything. Who won the betting pool?”

Now it was Laurent’s turn to laugh. “Auguste won the pool. Don’t pout Kashel, my dear, you were close enough.” He sounded teasing and Damen was very relieved to see some normalcy coming through all this chaos with the Regent. Theomedes had informed them that the head of the Marlas’ Thirds branch had authorized additional resources in order to bring the man in. However, it would be more difficult than anticipated. The Regent was a high-profile criminal. He was the head of a whole network, spread over the country. Not just some minor perp.

The man was dangerous and although he was human, even the Thirds wanted to bring him in. HPF was completely overwhelmed by his machinations and after Damen read his files, he wasn’t surprised in the least. The man had committed almost every crime known to humanity. Or he had his people commit them. Not that there was that much of a difference if one considered the outcomes.

“Now, Damen, won’t you ask your lover to the autumn ball?” Pallas teased with a glint in his eyes.

“Did you ask Lazar to accompany you?” Laurent asked back, before Damen could even open his mouth. His partner raised one challenging eyebrow towards their close-quarter combat expert who groaned and let his forehead collide with the tabletop. “Why? Why do you have to say that, Laurent? Seriously!”

“I take that as a no then.”

“Can’t we just refocus on the fact that both, you and Damianos, apparently get regular and very good sex since recently?” Pallas pleaded and Laurent rolled his eyes. “If you must. While I could inform you in great detail about all the sex I have, I think it's much more interesting to talk about all the sex you're apparently _not_ getting. Although you'd just have to say the word.”

They were interrupted in their bickering when their earpieces sounded the emergency alarm. They were on their feet in a second and headed for the armory. The team worked like a well oiled machine. Everybody knew exactly how they had to move to not hinder the others. Damen shouted orders and within minutes they sat in the bearcat driving towards the scene of an explosion.


End file.
